


Down the rabbit hole

by Angel_Style



Series: Aurora's tale [1]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Eventual Smut, F/M, Graphic Description, Loki Needs a Hug, Multi, Pining, Rape/Non-con Elements, Sexual Tension, Slow Burn, Sweet Loki
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-03
Updated: 2017-05-20
Packaged: 2018-09-28 02:43:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 24
Words: 154,552
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10066910
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Angel_Style/pseuds/Angel_Style
Summary: What would it be like if you lost not only your whole life but also your memories and got stranded in a distant realm?What if you cannot get back to your own life and are forced to rebuild a life for yourself?Luckily with friends in the right places this might not be a bad thing after all.But where will your choices lead you in the end?First time story by first time writer. So please be kind! :)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello all and thank you for reading my story.
> 
> It's my very first story and I’m actually quite nervous posting this. But I hope you will enjoy it.  
> I'm not a native English speaker. So please I hope you can forgive any grammar/spelling mistakes I made. I did my best to get them all but it’s not my strongest point so I apologize in advance. 
> 
> This story takes place before the Thor movies. So in my mind Loki is still a kinder version of what he later turns out to become.  
> I'll try to follow the movie story lines as much as I can but there will be some differences. Like Thor already has Mjolnir in my story.  
> It's going to be a long story because that's what I love to read and write. It also will be part of a series.  
> Again, thank you for reading my story I truly hope you enjoy it!
> 
> *update* I'm so happy I got the most amazing offer to have someone beta read the story for me! BealzADarling is going over the story as we speak. So i will be swapping chapters when i get them back from her and from now on my new chapters will be beta'd when i post them.  
> I hope this will heighten your reading experience and i cannot thank BealzADarling enough for doing this!!!!

It was a very pleasant vacation day. I was ducking in and out of stores and running around busy streets all day. Having some time off work and being away from students was heavenly. I loved the sightseeing and beautiful locations all around me. While I loved my job at MIT as one of the residing professors, there was nothing more blissful than a vacation in a beautiful land. I was currently one week in to my trip to Italy. Savoring the beautiful streets, sights and enjoying the amazing weather Italy provided.

It was fun to go around town soaking in all the culture even though I was on my own on this vacation. Being 25 years old and a MIT professor did not leave me much time in the dating department. So I decided I would stop waiting for a guy to sweep me of my feet to a faraway land and just do it. Just go to the faraway land on vacation by myself. But I loved it none the less. My life had been quite hectic up till now and I thought I deserved some relaxing time off. At first it had been amazing studying at MIT and while being one of their youngest graduates at the age of 17 had been quite a feat. Nothing compared to the honor of getting a teaching job there at the age of 23. While I had sort of a rocky start in life I was now totally content. I lost both my parents at a young age so I was in and out of the foster system. But also having an eidetic memory and an IQ well over 200 was not something that would make a child happy. Especially since all the other kids I ever got to meet thought of me as weird. But as an adult it was fantastic! I taught three classes a week to fellow nerds and the rest of my time I could spend tinkering away in the labs.

But I also wanted to see a bit more of the world. So after two years not taking any time off from work. I decided to go all out and give myself a well-deserved two-month vacation. So here I was one week in and determined to see all there is to see. I already took many trips this week so today I labeled a shopping day! It was near 6 in the evening when I came back to my hotel room near the beach to drop off all the bags that I had collected during my shopping spree. I took a quick shower and changed into some new clothes and I was out again to find a little restaurant so I could eat tonight.

I chose some low heel boots to fit over my tight fitting leather pants. I covered this with a top I bought today. It was a tight black shirt with an oversized deep emerald green see-through blouse over it. This blouse had long flowy arms and just came over my butt and combined with a tiny black belt around my waist I thought it looked stunning. Elegant enough to go out to a restaurant but still comfortable enough to walk along the beach. I added some of my favorite jewelry and I was ready for my night out. I loved walking along the beach at night. Staring up into the sky seeing all the stars. I threw some basic essentials in my purse and went out again. It only took me 5 minutes to reach the beach. I had promised myself a short walk along the beach and then when I got hungry I would make my way to the promenade and search for a nice restaurant.

While walking along the beautiful shore I was tempted to take of my shoes so I could run my feet through the water. But I decided to leave that till after dinner. Not wanting to have sand in my shoes the rest of the evening. I was walking for a small while when I started to hear my stomach protest. So I decided to venture back towards the restaurants and shops on the promenade. Till suddenly I came across this strange phenomenon in the dark.

In front of me on the beach I caught site of a stray beer can. While litter normally does not excite me this one was reflecting a green glow. It got my attention because there was little to no light on the beach except the moonlight and the promenade in the distance. So what was causing the glow? As I walked over to the beer can I suddenly was surprised to see a halo of green float in midair just below eye height. I was sure this was some sort of trick of light as it was a very strange sight. It was like an aurora borealis in the middle of the beach.

I walked over till I was like 10 cm away from the green phenomenon. I immediately took out my phone and started filming. After a few minutes I was getting quite worked up over this. Being well versed in science I could not understand what would cause this light. I had checked everywhere even thought it might be projected but as I passed my hands around the light there was no way. Because eventually i would have blocked the projection and cast a Shadow over the light.

So I slowly took my hand and placed it even closer to the light and I could feel warmth radiating of it. I was still filming but as I looked at my screen I could see that the light on the screen looked different. On the screen of my phone there was a definite bright spot in the light. Like there was something floating in the midst of the green glow.

“Well it’s definitely there.” I muttered to myself as I touched the most outer parts of the little nebula of light again. I could feel the warmth emanating from the glow. Suddenly I felt this overwhelming need to put my hand in further. Before I actively thought about it I lifted my camera and guided my hand towards where the lightest point on the screen was. There was a definite increase of heat but nothing anywhere near painful. My hand was now behind the source in the middle of the glow and even without my phone I could see the source. As the contrast against my hand had made it more distinguishable from the halo surrounding it. There was like a tiny triangle shaped gem floating in the light. It looked beautiful and I could not help but grin as it reminded me of a tiny Zelda triforce looking gem only in green. It was about 1 cm big and I could not help but want to hold it. So without thinking further I let my hand close around it.

There was a sudden darkness where the light had been and a warm glow spreading through my arm. The heat was becoming hotter and nearing painful. I got scared a bit and I tried to open my hand again but I couldn’t. There was this massive air surge like a silent explosion and I could feel myself being flung backwards. I had no chance to steel myself against the impact I knew was coming. But instead of hitting the sand there was just one long falling sensation. Which I thought very weird as the sand should have been just a few seconds away. Suddenly I also realized that instead of a darkness as it had been evening there was bright light. I tried to look around me but as I was still falling it was very hard to focus. I could see a lot of green and I felt things bounce against my skin and there were a lot of snapping sounds. Suddenly I felt my body slamming in to something. My head hit something hard and painful and the world just went black.

The first thing I felt were cold shivers running up and down my body. I tried to sit up but was greeted by a huge wave of nausea and pain. I fell back down to the ground and winced as my back collided with the ground. A big stab of pain flashing through my skull. I lifted a hand to the back of my head and I felt a big bump and warm liquid on my fingers. As I pulled my fingers back to look at them I could see they were covered in something dark that must have been blood.

I slowly tried sitting back up again and I managed to look around me. I was in what appeared to be a forest. Green trees and rocks all around me. The trees were thick and tall like they were ancient and much bigger than I ever saw in a forest. Another shiver went through my body and it sank in that I was very cold. Knowing I had to start moving I slowly stood up trying to ignore the painful protest of my body. I had to grab a tree while getting up because a wave of dizziness flew over me and I found it hard to stand.

“What the hell is happening?” I said more to myself than anyone else as I did my best not to panic. “Think god dammit, Think!”

What was the last thing I remembered? I tried to find answers but I was greeted by a big blank. Ok that was weird. I could feel fear setting into my body. As much as I tried to think of anything there was just a blank. I could feel my lungs scream for air as I started to hyperventilate till the point that I nearly passed out. It took me every ounce of will power I had to get my breathing back under control. When I finally had my breathing in check I noticed I was crying like a little baby.

“Stop this!” I screamed to myself. “This is not making anything better. You’re out here in the middle of a fricking forest and you’re going to freeze to death if you don’t start thinking of a plan!”

This ridiculous dialog with myself made me feel a bit better. And I felt like at last I could focus a bit. I had to go and do something or I'd freeze or get sick. The temperature was dropping even further and the last rays of sunshine had left the sky. After a few moments looking at my surroundings I found my phone lying near a tree and picked it up. It was still recording so I stopped it. I immediately dialed the Italian rescue number but was greeted with the most discouraging sound in the world. As I looked at my screen it was clear that I had zero cell reception. So, I just turned the phone off and placed it back in my bag that I had found lying near the same tree. My head was hurting like hell and my muscles were sore. I decided I needed to start walking to see if I could find something or anything that could help. Not wanting to run around in circles I kept a very bright star in the sky as the center and started walking in what I hoped was a straight line. At least this way I would be less cold soon, as I hoped walking would get some warmth back in to my body. It was hard to walk in this strange environment in the dark and I fell down a lot. Partially because I was still dizzy from hitting my head and partially because it was getting harder and harder to see in the dark. After a few minutes of stumbling I grabbed my phone from my bag. At least I could use it as a flashlight until the battery died. Naturally by the time I got this bright idea my arms and legs were already scraped and bruised. And to top it all off I had a nasty deep cut on the inside of my left hand.

After walking for about 45 minutes I started to hear noises in the distance. It sounded like people talking really loudly. Mixed with a weird howling noise. I could not help but smile. At least I was not alone in this godforsaken place. I instantly quickened my pace hoping I could find help before I managed to kill myself in this damned forest.

I followed the noise and I was glad to find it getting louder and louder. At least I was going in the right direction. I suddenly stumbled upon an edge of a clearing in the forest. The sight in front of me took my breath away. It was a huge clearing about 250 meters in diameter. In the middle of the clearing was a giant and ancient looking tree. It was like a weeping willow but with deep blue flowers hanging from its vines. The flowers were softly glowing in the dark. It must have been thousands of years old because it was enormous. But the sight before the great tree was even more astonishing. In front of the tree there was a small group of people and a very big wolf. And I don’t mean big as in a cute doggy. No big as in almost twice the size of a normal human. It stood on all four legs and he could easily rest his chin on top of the head of one of the humans in the group. It took me a few seconds to take in the absurdity of the scene in front of me. The three humans where arguing and yelling and pointing at the wolf. The wolf clearly being threatened had his ears pulled back and was hunched low. But he was letting out small yelps and little whines as he moved. As I focused on the people. There was one female and two males. It looked like the female was tying a sort of leash in the form of a ribbon around the tree. The other part of the ribbon was attached to a collar on the wolfs neck. I don’t know why but I instantly felt a sort of dislike for the woman. I could clearly see and hear that the wolf was in some sort of pain. But the woman kept yanking hard on the ribbon while trying to tie it around the tree. This making the wolf nearly lose his footing once or twice as it forced him closer to the tree. Each time she yanked the wolf let out a yelp clearly in pain.

“Could you please just work with me?” the woman yelled to the wolf. To my surprise the wolf seemed to listen to the woman. He turned his head towards her and took a few steps closer to the tree. Making sure there was less stress on the ribbon. But it was clear that each step was quite painful for him. But he gave her enough slack on the ribbon to attach it to the tree.  
I could hear one of the men speak. “Sif can you please hurry up attaching this thing?” This came from the bigger one of the two men “I need to be back at the palace soon I have a meeting arranged with a lovely maiden this evening that I do not want to miss.”

The woman he had called Sif answered. “That’s not my problem Volstag and you damn well know it.” But it looked like she was done with the ribbon and walked away from the wolf. They all took a step back and I heard a soft whimper emanating from the wolf. He tried to tug at the ribbon a few times but it looked like it hurt too much and he just seemed to collapse to the ground.

The other smaller man started talking. “He’s hurting should we not help him?” And I could see them all look over at the huge wolf.

The woman just shrugged. “It’s not our problem. He got himself into these problems and it’s not even our problem to get him out of it. We are not his keepers.”

I could see the smaller of the two man still looking at the wolf with worry. “You know Loki will be angry if we leave him like this?” he said to the rest of the group.

“Fandral to be honest I could not care less.” Said the woman clearly annoyed. “I really cannot give a moment of worry for what Loki might feel about the beast. He’s his responsibility not ours. He is the one that went on an impromptu hunting trip with Thor. It’s his fault we are here in the first place. If he had been here he could have taken care of the beast. But no, he’s nowhere to be found and now his monster’s gotten into trouble and we are ordered to go and find him and put him on a leash. You know the king ordered Loki to leash him whenever he would leave. It was his negligence that caused all of this to happen in the first place. As soon as he’s back it’s also his problem to sort out again. You know full well there is nothing we can do for the animal at this time.” And with that she stormed off to the side of the clearing. I saw the other two hesitate and look at the wolf but within seconds they turned and followed her.

The smartest thing for me now would have been to run after the three. Or at least get their attention in some way. But to be honest they disgusted me. How could they leave a wounded animal all alone without even trying to help him? Clearly they did not think him dangerous as the woman had been millimeters from his head when attaching the leash. But it was very clear that they could care less for its wellbeing as they had not even looked at his injuries. I could feel a warm flash of anger rise inside me and to be honest I welcomed it. Driving away the chill that was creeping deep into my bones. My anger only worsened as I heard the small whimpers of pain softly escaping the huge wolf now that they had left the clearing.

“No I cannot leave him all by himself.” I thought “I will not leave a creature in pain if there is anything I can do to help him. Even if it’s nearly twice my size.” And with that I knew I had made up my mind and I started to slowly make my way across the clearing towards the wolf.

I was halfway into the clearing when the wolf seemed to notice me. I could see his big eyes look at me and his nose went up a bit sniffing in my direction. He tried to move but let out a very soft whimper. He was clearly in much pain and I quickened my step. I could see his eyes following me like a hawk and before I realized it there were only a few meters left between us. Getting a bit worried about maybe intimidating the huge wolf I stood there for a moment so he could get used to my presence.  After about a minute I saw him relax a bit and I slowly continued my way towards him. My eyes never leaving his as we kept looking at each other. I could see his ears turning up into a normal position and his tail softly wagging. Taking these as good signs I walked even closer. I was so close now that I could see dark spots on his fur from what I thought must be blood. The most blood seeming to trickle down his chest and pool near his front right leg.

“Hello you.” I said softly to the wolf and I could see his tail wag a bit faster. “Are you hurt?”

I tried to keep my tone light and friendly as I slowly moved towards the head of the huge wolf. His big eyes still following my every move. When I was next to his head I lifted my hand close to its nose. He sniffed my hand and gave me a small lick with its tongue. Again I took this as a good sign and softly stroked his head making his huge tail loudly tap the ground.

“Can you show me where it hurts?” I asked the wolf. Hoping I was right about him understanding the other woman. The wolf just looked at me for a few seconds like he was making up his mind about me. But after a moment he let out a small whimper and rolled over on his side. He lifted his right front leg so I could see his underside. As my eyes examined his body I could see small scrapes on his belly and paws but after a moment searching in soft glow of the flowers I saw the cause of his pain. Just where his leg met his chest there was a large and deep wound. While it was a bit hard to see in the dim light I could just see a foreign object lodged in to the wound.

“That must hurt quite a bit.” I said again to the wolf softly stroking his fur and he just blinked and let out a deep breath.

“There is something embedded in the wound.” I told the wolf. “I think you would feel better if I pull it out but it’s going to hurt a lot. Do you want me to pull it out?”

The wolf looked at me again with a curious look in his eyes but after a small moment he nodded yes. I could not help but find the whole situation a bit amusing. Here I was talking to a huge wolf in a forest that I have no recollection of going to. And the strangest thing off all was that it looked like the wolf understood what I was saying. More shivers ran down my spine. The cold now pulling me back into reality and I felt my hands getting numb. I tried to rub my hands together to get them warmed up a bit but was greeted by a flash of pain. I momentary had forgotten the huge cut in my left hand.

So I flexed my fingers to get some warmth back in to my hands before I focused back on the wolf and his wound. I saw what appeared to be a stick sticking out of the wound. I placed my fingers around the end and pulled. It came out a few centimeters but then I lost my grip and let go. I could feel the wolf stiffen and he let out a small growl in pain.

“I’m so sorry” I softly added to the wolf and gave him some room as it clearly had been very painful. “Just get your breath for a moment and then I will try again.”

I could see the wolf close its eyes and lower its head on the ground. After a few minutes he looked back at me again. His breathing now calmer and he gave me another nod.

“Ok, just so you know I have to pull very hard to get it out so I’m sorry but this will hurt even more.”

I could see the wolf’s ears fall back a bit and he took a deep breath. I closed my right hand around the end and placed my left hand on the skin surrounding the wound so I could use more force and hopefully pull out the stick.

“Here it goes.” I said more to myself as I started pulling. I had to use all my strength to get the thing out. It was far bigger than I expected. The wolf let out a huge howl in pain but after a few agonizing seconds it finally came out.

I let the stick fall to the ground and looked back at the wound to see if I got all of it out. The wound was bleeding even harder now. I knew I had to apply some pressure to the wound in order to try and stop its bleeding. I was looking around to see what I could use but I did not see anything right away. So, I decided to use my hands to put some pressure on the wound while I considered what to do next. The instant my left hand touched the wound I could feel a warm pulse shoot through my arm and envelop my whole body.  I tried to struggle against the feeling as it was quite overwhelming but it was no use. I could feel my body sag against the soft fur of the wolf and for the second time that day everything around me went black.

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

There was this strange warmth fluctuating between a warm sensation and fierce burning. Sometimes I would hear or feel something but it was like my mind was stuck in a thick fog. I vaguely remembered hearing soft yelps and a very warm and deep silky voice. But then my mind would go hazy again. It was like I was floating around in an everlasting darkness. Sometimes when the fierce burning sensation returned I thought that I might be in hell. Forced to endure this pain for the rest of eternity. But after those kinds of realizations I would just sink back in to the darkness. Only to be brought back by a voice or sound from a faraway place but never finding the direction or energy to follow the voices. 

My mind was struggling against the nothingness and helplessness of my state. I wanted and needed to pull myself from this purgatory but there was nothing I could do. And after what felt like an eternity in perpetual darkness and pain I just decided to let go. I gave in and lost myself in the nothingness. Not caring about the world around me just letting myself float away from consciousness hoping everything would soon end. 

The first change I noticed in a very long while was a sound. I could hear the wind softly blowing and birds chirping. It managed to soothe me but again I had no concept of time in the state I was in. The second change I noticed was light. Softly brightening the darkness around me but I was still unable to open my eyes. The third and most shocking change I noticed was when I realized I was no longer in pain.  I tried to feel any sensation but my body was numb but for the first time since I’ve been in this purgatory I was pain free. 

The burning I had felt had become almost like a new reality as there had been no escaping it. But now that it was not there I felt quite comfortable. I could feel the soft breeze gently stroking the little hairs on my arm and for the first time in what seemed like forever I realized I felt my body. My mind quickly did summersaults in my head. If I could feel my body, then I wasn’t dead, right? So I tried the only thing I could think of and I opened my eyes. 

The sight before me took my breath away. I was in a room like nothing I had ever seen. Huge arched windows with soft almost see through fabric draped in front of them. One window open making the fabric slowly blow in the wind. Behind the window was a view that took my breath away. High golden towers and even further in the distance green and trees stretched all around a city and further on the right an ocean as far as the eyes could see. 

My eyes focused back on the room itself. It was light and the stone on the walls was a soft yellow or beige color. The ceiling ornately decorated with golden images. I was in a large bed dressed in white sheets. Next to the bed were chairs with ornate figures carved beautifully into the wood. The seats covered in what seemed like a cream-colored velvet. Next to my head on both sides were a sort of night tables with golden motives on them. They perfectly matched the chairs. 

 _"So this is w_ _h_ _at heaven looks like."_ I thought and I could not help but smile. 

I never believed in a God or anything. But it was the simplest explanation. After a few moments, I tried to sit up in my bed. While I could feel my muscles protest a bit I was amazed to feel a fresh surge of energy flow through my body. Energized by this I flipped back the covers and pushed my legs over the side of the bed. It took me a bit of adjusting but after a few tries I was able to stand. Long soft fabric fell down my legs as my bare feet touched the slightly cool floor. As I looked down I saw that I was dressed in a pale green gown. I trailed my hands over the soft fabric and it felt truly luxurious and soft. I focused back on the room and noticed two sets of doors. One being a very big double door. The other a smaller one to the side of the room. I decided to be careful and check out the smaller one first. 

As I opened the door I saw what I could only describe as a bathroom fitted for royalty. There was a huge golden bath in the center of the room and a set of sinks with taps on one side of the wall. After looking closely, I saw all the necessities of a bathroom. But everything was just more lavish and it all screamed luxury. 

The thing that caught my eye was a huge standing mirror at the other side of the room and I could not help but walk to it. The moment I caught my reflection all the air left my lungs. The woman staring back at me was familiar of course but there was a weird sense of unfamiliarity when looking at my reflection. 

At first the dress I wore was something out of a fairytale. The long flowing dress hugged my chest in a sweetheart neckline. The dress had golden strands of fabric crossing over my chest up behind my neck as a sort of halter top. So the fabric would have no chance of sliding down. There was another golden strap just under my chest forming a small bow on my back. The rest of the dress was long flowing. The beautiful pale green fabric falling in several layers on top of each other. I took in the rest of my reflection. My skin was a tiny bit paler then normal. But I never had been very tanned. As I looked at my face I saw my green eyes were opened very wide in surprise. My red hair being even more surprising. While I of course knew I had curly red hair this was not the thing that surprised me. I was expecting  to see it reach just over my shoulders. But the reflection in the mirror showed me it was much and much longer. After turning to inspect my hair I could see that it fell well down my back reaching my waist. My red locks curling down my back in a thick sea of red. 

"What the hell......" I started to say out loud but was shocked at a sound on the other side of the door. It sounded like a loud clatter and glass breaking. 

I moved back to the bathroom door that I had left open and peaked out a bit. There was a young woman in the room. A tray with what had looked like bottles and such broken on the floor. The woman's eyes fixated on the now empty bed. 

"Are you alright?" I asked and I saw the young woman jump in fear as she turned around in the direction of the bathroom. I felt a wave of remorse for having scared the woman like that. So I quickly stepped out of the bathroom. I wanted to walk over to her and reassure her. But between us was a sea of broken glass shards. The woman still frozen in place looking at me with her hands over her mouth. It looked like she was terrified and trying not to scream. 

"Are you alright?" I tried again "I would come over to you but I have no shoes and I don't want to step on the glass." 

I could see her eyes dart between the glass on the ground and my feet. But before I got a chance to say anything more she turned and nearly ran out of the room through the double doors at the end. I wanted to follow her but again the glass on the floor stopped me. I could not help but laugh a bit at the girl’s reaction and the absurdity of this whole situation. Now with the path to the double doors blocked off I turned towards the window. As I made my way over I saw it was not exactly a window but more like French doors. I opened the doors further to find a small rounded balcony on the other side. Not having felt the warm rays of the sun for as long I could remember I stepped out onto the balcony. Turning my face toward the sun and just basking in all its warmth. I was startled by the sound of glass crunching and scraping over the floor and I turned back to the sound. Expecting the young woman to be back with a broom to clean the mess off the floor. 

When I turned I saw a man looking at me through the sheer fabric still blowing in the wind. I walked back inside the room as he just kept looking at me with an unreadable expression on his face. He had beautiful blue eyes. He was tall with shoulder length black hair and pale flawless skin. He was dressed in a dark leather looking outfit with dark green and gold embellishments. For a moment we just stood there looking at each other. I so did not know what to make of this whole situation. So I decided I would just take the first step. 

"Hi." I said with a small wave to the man in front of me. A small smile crossing my lips. 

I could see him blink a few times before he hesitantly said "Hello." 

This time I could not help but laugh and I could see him watching me with a confused look upon his face. 

"I'm sorry." I added still giggling. "But when I said hi to the other woman a few minutes ago she just gave me almost the same look and ran out of this room nearly screaming. So I'm just happy to get a reply." 

I could see a small smile form on his lips. 

"Ah yes I see." He retorted. "The way she burst in to my room just now you would have thought that there was a pack of demons on her heals." 

"Not a pack, just me." I added with a smile. "And I was not running behind her for I don't think my feet would have survived that." And I motioned towards the glass on the floor. 

I could see him turn to look at the glass and then towards my feet and he made a strange movement with his hand. Before my eyes I saw the broken glass and the tray disappear and the floor once more looked immaculate like the rest of the room. Before I could even comprehend what just happened the double doors opened and a beautiful woman with long curly blond hair entered the room followed by another woman. 

"My dear you are awake." The woman said while walking towards me. She took my hands and softly but firmly led me back towards the bed. "If you don't mind Lady Eir wants to check on you to see how you are doing." With this she gestured towards the woman behind her. 

I felt like this whole thing was very surreal but I decided that as long as they all seemed friendly I would just play along. "I don't mind." I replied and sat down on the side of the bed and the beautiful woman sat down next to me. 

Lady Eir took a few minutes to check my vitals and temperature and after a few moments the Lady gave the woman next to me a nod. 

"She seems to be well but I would like to run a few more test later if she's ready for it." And with a nod from the beautiful woman she left. 

Here I was sitting on a bed god knows where and surrounded by strange people. I could see both the man and the woman looking like I was something alien and I could feel myself getting nervous. 

"I'm sorry my dear. This must be very strange for you." The beautiful woman said with a genuine smile. “I see you've met my son Loki." And she gestured towards the man. "My name is Frigga. My son found you in the forest. You seemed to be unwell so he took you back home and we have been tending to you in the hope you would regain your health." 

It was hard to think back. To try and remember anything before the darkness and burning but after a few moments I could remember the forest. There had been something in that forest. 

"The wolf!" I squeaked with a high voice. I could see them both jumping a bit at my reaction. "Sorry." I added as a big blush creeped over my face. "It's just that I remember the wolf now. He was hurt and I removed this big piece of wood from a wound under his front leg. Is he alright? Did someone help him too? I did my best to stop the bleeding but I really want to know if he's alright!" I knew I was rambling now but I was really worried about that sweet animal. 

I could see a small grin form over Loki's lips and I could see Frigga looking a bit shocked. 

"He is alright, right?" I asked again now even more worried. 

My gaze fell over Loki who looked very amused at my concern for the wolf. 

"Yes Fenrir, or the wolf as you call him is quite alright." And with that he walked closer to the bed and placed himself on the chair in front of me and Frigga. "You have nothing to worry about. But I would like to know more about yourself. Pray tell what is your name?" 

I had to grin inwardly a bit as his manner of speech was very old school. 

"Well I'm.... I'm." I tried to think hard. It shouldn't be that hard think of your own name. And I could not help panic a bit. It must have registered with Frigga because I could feel her hand on my arm. "I don't know my name." I let out in shock as I looked at her and then Loki. "How can I not know my own name?" The last bit coming out almost a full octave higher. I could feel my heart racing in my chest and my breathing hitch. 

"Calm down dear, there is no need for panic." Frigga said with a calming voice. Her hands gently squeezing mine. "What is the last thing you do remember?" 

I tried to steady my breathing. Taking a few deep breaths in order to calm myself. Which was hard to do when two people kept staring at you. While Frigga had soft, comforting and kind eyes Loki's were very piercing, intimidating and very blue. His gaze was almost as if he wanted to see inside my head. But I decided to ignore his stare and to think back to my memories. 

"The first thing I remember is the forest. I woke up in the forest." Seeing the scene play out in my mind. "I was in the forest. It was cold and my head hurt a lot." Instinctively I let go of Frigga's hand and raised it to the back of my head where I knew there had been a big lump. But as I felt along my skull there was no sign of any lump on my head. So I decided to go on with my story. “I was hurt and cold so I decided to walk and find some help. I got to a clearing and found a group of people and a wolf. They were trying to bind the wolf to a tree. I wanted to get their attention but they were being quite rough with the wolf who was clearly in pain. So I did not dare get their attention for I did not approve of how they could hurt the wolf. If they could treat a hurt animal that way I was not sure I would fare any better.” I let a moment of silence fall before I could continue. “After they left I went to the wolf and he was indeed hurt badly with a big piece of wood sticking out of his wound. So I pulled it out. But then his wound started to bleed harder. I tried to put pressure on the wound to slow the bleeding and then I think I might have blacked out.” I tried for a moment to think if there was more that I might remember but there was nothing. So I shook my head. “After that all I can remember is being all alone in darkness and pain. Until I woke up just now." A shiver went down my spine and could not help but wince at the thought of the darkness and the pain. 

Frigga was looking over to Loki and I could see them exchanging looks. Until she focused back on me. 

"Would you mind if Loki looked into your mind to see if he can find something you might have forgotten?" Frigga asked me. 

"Look into my mind?" I asked as I blinked like an owl. I could not understand what the hell she meant. 

"Yes." She simply replied her face now filled with what looked like a blank mask. But I had this feeling like she was waiting for me to refuse. 

"Is it weird if I ask how he would do that?" I knew I sounded like a little child as I asked this. But I really didn’t want to give anyone a reason to cut my head open or something like that. 

"With magic." She just said as if it was the most common thing in the world. 

"Right. With magic." I reiterated. I didn’t know if she was joking or not her face not betraying anything. So I tried to look at Loki to see if they were yanking my chain. But he was even more a mystery and I could not get any information from looking at him. After a few moments I felt the tension rise higher and higher. I knew I had to say something but what do you say to people talking about magic. They could not be for real right? So I just blurted out the first thing my mind came up with. "Will it hurt?" I asked as I looked at Loki. 

"Not if you let me look around freely. But I must add that if you fight me or try to shield things from me it might be uncomfortable or even painful." He just calmly replied like all of this was the most normal thing in the world. 

I looked at them both to see if they were serious but it seemed that they were. It felt really strange. I just knew one wrong move from me could cause this whole thing to escalate. I was really scared and I did not want to alienate these people who I just met. As I clearly was dependent on them at the moment. So I just decided to roll with it. Ether I was going crazy or they were crazy. But I had nothing to hide. So I took a deep breath and shrugged. "Ok so what do I need to do?" 

He closed the distance between us. Carefully placing his chair right in front of me. 

"I'm going to place my hands on the sides of your head and the only thing you need to do is look me in the eyes and try to relax. Don’t try to fight anything just try your best to stay calm. That way you should not even feel a thing." 

I just nodded again. I had butterflies in my stomach because I knew staring into those eyes and not looking away might prove difficult as they were very intense. I could see him raise his hands and place them over the temples on each side of my head. His hands were surprisingly soft and warm. And again, I could feel nerves flutter in my stomach. I was still staring at the floor. Knowing full well I now had to look up at him. And while it took me a few seconds I did. Only to be met by his piercing blue eyes. He was really close. His blue eyes looking into mine and me just staring back at him. Instead of feeling lost I decided to try and focus on the little spots in his iris. Intent on examining the small feather like structure within his iris. From up-close I could see tiny green specs among the blue. There was a warm sensation emanating from his fingers which gave me a bit of shock. I could feel a tingling sensation form in my head. But I kept looking into his eyes trying to relax. Still not sure what he intended to do. After a few moments the sensation grew less and he removed his hands from my temples. 

“She’s telling the truth.” He said more to his mother then me. “I can see her memories of the woods and Fenrir very clear. But the rest while still there in her mind are inaccessible. I can feel the memories in the back of her mind but it’s like they are clouded or shielded. There is a darkness that surrounds them. I could not penetrate it and I doubt she can either. While it seems she can remember some of the basic things like speech and such the real memories remain blocked." And with that he sat back in his seat. 

I just sat there blinking looking at Loki and then looking back at Frigga. I wanted to ask a thousand questions. Even feeling so stressed I wanted to yell but I just sat there. To dazed to do anything. I had felt him do something inside my head. And earlier with a flick of his hand he had removed the glass from the floor. But magic? Did he use real magic? it was a lot to take in. 

“You look shocked.” Frigga said with a soft voice. 

“I actually don’t know what I find more disturbing.” The words were coming from my mouth before I could think about them. “The fact that I’m considering that magic is real or the fact that I cannot remember anything.” 

With this Frigga stood up from the bed and walked over to a little night stand next to the bed. 

“When my son found you in the woods there were a certain amount of items in your possession.” With this she opened the nightstand and took out a small bundle. She returned to the bed and laid them in front of me. 

I took the bundle and inspected the clothes. They looked like the clothes I  was wearing in my memories of the forest. Although they looked a bit worse for wear. Drudging through a forest at night while dizzy and falling does tend to do that. 

There also was a small purse and I took it and opened it up. On the inside if found a few items and jewelry. I took the wallet and phone in my hands. I tried to turn the phone on but it did not have any power left. Too bad I did not bring my charger or I could have plugged it in. So I just let out a sigh and put it back into my purse. 

“Could you tell us what that device is?” Loki asked curiously. 

“This?” I asked while holding up my phone. “Just my phone. Do you have a charger by any chance? I might just be able to see who’s in my contact list and then I can ask them if they know me.” This actually sounded like an amazing idea. Until my eyes met Loki’s and I could see him looking at me like he did not understand a thing is said. 

“You talk to that thing?” he asked and this time he looked at me like I had gone mad. 

“Well, yes. That is the entire purpose of a phone. You can call people and talk to them. Although this being a smartphone it can also do much more. But seeing as it has an empty battery at the moment I cannot use it.” 

He eyed the phone warily and looked back to his mother. 

“And the other item?” Frigga asked this time and she pointed to my wallet. 

“That’s my wallet.” And I really was wondering what the hell was going on. “It’s for storing money and identifica….. Identification!” I nearly shouted as I pulled my wallet open to find my ID. 

And after sifting through all the cards I found it. There it was in clear black and white Aurora Williams. Born on the ninth of May 1991 and my picture next to it. I could not help but smile at the realization of my name. 

“I’m Aurora, Aurora Williams!” And I held my identification out to show them. I immediately started to sift through my wallet to see what else I could find. There were a few basic cards there like a credit card and other things. But my eyes fell on a keycard. It read: Hotel La Minevera. Valid from June 2016 till august 2016. 

“Can you pleas tell me where I am?” I asked knowing there was something off. This surely was not a hotel and I suddenly grew very wary again about the strange people surrounding me. 

After a moment Frigga nodded. “You’re in Asgard. To be more precise you’re in the medical wing of the royal palace in Asgard. As far as Lady Eir could tell when Loki brought you in is that you’re not from around here. It seems you’re mortal and from the realm we call Midgard but the people who live there call it Earth. We don’t know what brought you here. We only know that when my son found you, you were unconscious and had a lot of injuries on your body. After he brought you back to the palace we tended to you and waited for you to regain consciousness. But it took a very long time for that to happen.” 

I tried to let it sink in what she just said. “And how long is a very long time?” I asked and I could almost feel the discomfort radiate from them both. 

Frigga laid her hand back on mine and said. “It’s been two years since he found you in the forest. You have been unconscious for two years.” 

I just sat there and looked at Frigga. My brain trying to get around whether or not this was all true. And I was really struggling with this whole thing. But if this really was true then I had been out for two whole years. I started to feel dizzy and felt her arms gently fold around me to keep me upright. 

I was still for a moment hoping to keep my emotions in check. I tried to recap what I had just heard. Just to see if I had heard her right. “So I’ve been asleep for two years and currently I’m not on earth or Midgard as you call it? But what I’m on a different realm or planet?” 

Frigga just slowly nodded as a reply. 

“And how do I get back to Midgard?” I was doing my best to sound like I believed them. But I wanted to get out of here as soon as possible. This situation was wrong and strange and I hated the helplessness I was feeling.  They surely must be very crazy people if they expected me to believe this. It also did not help that they both were wound tight like a coil, like they expected me to lunge at them at any moment. 

This time it was Loki who answered. “While we do have a way to travel between realms and also to Midgard there is another problem.” 

I looked at him and saw a flash of what looked to be pity cross his face. 

“While we can transport people back to Midgard it seems that you are not only out of place but also out of time.” 

My brain was pounding ferociously in my skull. “What do you mean by “out of time?”” 

He let out a big breath and continue his explanation. “As far as we could see by your possessions and what you just confirmed to us is you are born in the year 1991. Correct?” 

I just nodded my head in reply. 

“Well, currently in Midgard years the date there is the year 1821. So even if we did send you back it still will be hundreds of years before you would be back in your own time.” 

And that’s where I snapped and totally freaked out. My head was pounding like someone wanted to crush my skull with a jackhammer. I could feel tears forming in my eyes and quickly stood up. I saw Loki and Frigga mirror my movement and I could feel Frigga coming closer to touch me again. But I drew back and nearly fell backwards against Loki. I felt his hands on my shoulder but it was all too much to handle and I needed to get away from him. So I pulled free from his grip tears now falling freely down my face. 

"No!" I yelled at them both as I began putting more space between me and them. "This cannot be true. I'm not mad! Magic does not exist and neither does Asgard as you call it. This is all a figment of my imagination. I’m not in a freaking other realm or planet 170 years in the past!" I yelled as loud as I could. I desperately tried pinching the skin of my hand trying to wake up. And while it hurt like hell I was still there. 

"Wake up!" I yelled more at myself then at them. I could feel a deep panic run through my whole body. I had to use a hand to steady myself against the wall. But then my legs gave out. I flopped to the ground. With my left side against the wall I crawled backwards till I was in a corner and could go no further. Pressed in the corner I could do nothing but pull my arms around my legs and drop my face against my knees. It was getting very hard to breath and I knew I had to get my breathing under control or I would pass out. 

There was a gentle touch on my arm and when I turned my head I could see Frigga on her knees next to me. Loki was standing a few steps behind her looming over us both. 

"Can you please leave me alone?" I screamed not caring anymore. I really did not want them hovering around me. It was hard enough to breathe without having an audience. 

"We will leave my dear." Frigga said softly. "We understand this is a shock. Take your time and we will be back in a few hours. We will tell the staff not to bother you in the meantime." 

I could only sit there and I let my head drop back in my lap trying to make myself as small as I could. After a few moments I heard their steps echo through the room and then doors open and close. I don't know how long I sat there on the cold floor but after what felt like forever my eyes got heavy. Without the energy to get back in bed I just let myself drift off to sleep. 

 


	3. Chapter 3

I could feel arms wrap around me, lifting me up but I was too tired to respond. While I was half awake I could feel myself being placed back in bed and the covers pulled over me. I was very cold and I could feel I was shivering. I felt a hand on my shoulder and then a pleasant warmth spread through my body. I tried to open my eyes but all I saw was a blurry image of black hair and green clothes. With the warmth now seeping through my body I drifted back to sleep. I don’t know how long I slept but when I awoke it was dark. There was a small glowing ball of light hovering above the night stand. When I looked further into the room I could see Loki sitting near the little ball with a book. His eyes floating over the pages and his fingers absently playing with the corner of a page. 

I took this moment to really look at him. He looked young I guess somewhere between 23 to 27 years. His black hair slicked back. His hair long and reaching well past his ears but above his shoulders. The contrast between his black hair and pale skin even more distinct in the candle light. He was sitting with his legs spread wide. One hand holding the book and the other hand playing with the corner of the page. Every so often I could see his eyebrows contract as if he were reading something difficult. His blue eyes roaming the pages. I got a weird feeling when looking at his eyes. While he looked young his eyes looked old. Like there was an old soul trapped behind those eyes. He was quite mesmerizing to look at but I felt my eyes wander to the soft glow of the little ball. My mind thinking back to what had happened today. The things that I was told that could not be possible but again the little ball of light was the personification of magic. Even though what I'd been told was too absurd to be true. I had this sinking feeling that they were telling me the truth. I don’t know why I felt that way but it was just a feeling in the pit of my stomach. These people were not trying to trick me and were telling the truth. I don’t know why but I could almost feel their sincerity. This realization was enough to make me gasp for air and I could see Loki look up from his book. 

“Please, if you want me to leave you alone just say the word.” And with this I saw him starting to rise from the chair. 

I looked at him and tried to give him a small smile but I think I failed horribly with the shock of my realization still running through my body. 

“No it’s fine you can stay.” I said softly. “It’s just this whole ordeal is freaking me out. I really don’t know what to think of all of this.” And I could see him sink back in the chair again his full focus on me. His eyes now somewhat softer and kinder then they had been earlier today. “It’s just a bit much and I really don’t know what to do.” I pulled myself up in the bed. Propping a few pillows behind my back so I could sit comfortably against the headboard. “It’s just really scary to not know my past. And if I’m to believe all that you’e told me it’s not just my loss of memories. But I’m in another realm or planet. Not to even get me started about what you said on being centuries in the past. I don’t know if I’m going crazy and this is all in my head or if it’s real. Truth be told I don’t know which of those two options scares me most.” My hands were shaking and I could feel tears burning in my eyes again. So I just closed them taking a few deep breaths to get my emotions back under control. 

Loki shifted in his seat. “I do not presume to know what it must be like for you. But I hope you do know that you don’t have to fear us. We will try to help you as much as we can. You can stay here at the palace for as long as you need. We have taken the liberty and readied some sleeping quarters for you. So you don’t have to spend all your time in the healing ward. I could show you if you like. But if you’re not up to it you’re welcome to spend the night here and I will show you in the morning.” 

I looked up at him and gave him a small smile. I thought it over for a moment but after spending almost the whole day either stressed or sleeping I was feeling a bit restless. “I would not mind walking a bit. I must say I’m getting a bit restless.” And with that I pulled the warm covers from my legs and placed my feet on the ground. A shiver ran over me as my bare feet touched the cold floor. 

I could see Loki look at me for a moment and then with a flick of his hand next to my feet appeared a set of slippers. They were gold and had a slight heel. 

I just stared at the shoes and back at Loki. “I really don’t think I will get used to that.” I said more to myself then to him. I could see a little smile forming over his lips. 

I let my feet slip in to the slippers and they fit perfectly. “So I presume you just used magic to make those shoes appear?” I asked and Loki just nodded. After a few moments of silence, I decided to just ask more questions as they were swarming in my head and I wanted to fill the silence. “Is it part of the magic that they fit perfectly or is this something you calculated?” I asked Loki as I motioned towards the shoes. I looked at him and I could see he was surprised by my question. 

“Is there a reason why this would interest you?” He asked as he gave me a hand to help me stand up from the bed. 

“Well.” I continued as I took his hand to get out of the bed. “If it were part of the magic then it would be the result of a spell. If it was because of a careful calculation this means you are very observant. Seeing as I’m trying to gather as much information about my situation and the people around me I was curious to know.” 

I could see Loki look at me and this time a real smile appeared on his face. “Ah I see.” He said and with a small bow he released my hand and motioned me to walk with him. As we walked a few steps I could not help but question him again. 

“So was my question an improper one? Seeing as you’ve not answered it. And I’m sorry if it was. This is all very new and to be honest I never thought magic was even real. So I’m just very curious about it.” 

This time Loki let out a small chuckle. “It seems that you’re not easily distracted from getting answers. But no it’s not an improper question. It’s just something I don’t get asked a lot. People tend to be more interested in the result of a spell and not the inner workings. But to answer you the size was due to a calculation and not the spell.” 

He opened the double doors at the end of the room and we stepped in to a large room with several beds. Loki escorted me to another set of huge doors and those opened into a grand corridor. I could not help but gaze at the beauty and vastness of the corridor. I knew both Frigga and Loki had mentioned I was in a palace and while the room I had been in was very large. The grandness of the corridor made the whole scale of the place just come in to focus. “Loki, how many people live in this palace?” I could not help but ask. 

“You ask the strangest questions do you know that?” I could see him smiling again. But he still continued to answer my question. “If you were to include all people living here, visiting and the staff I think that there are over several thousand people living here at the moment.” 

The enormity of this place nearly blew me away. I had thought it to be a small palace or castle with a few hundred-people living here. But it was more like a giant city where everyone lived under the same roof. I followed Loki as he began walking down the long corridors. Making twists and turns some corridors being busier than the other. Groups of finely dressed people walking along. I also notice other people dressed in plainer clothes. I guessed these were people who worked at the palace seeing that they curtsied and bowed when the finer dressed people seemed to notice them. After a short walk and several corridors and stairs later there was a long hallway and Loki stopped at a large door. 

“These will be your quarters during your stay with us I hope they will be to your liking.” And he opened the door and stepped aside so I could enter the room. 

If I thought the healing ward was grand the it was nothing in comparison to the room before me the sight before me took my breath away. There was an even larger room before me. That was beautifully decorated my focus drawn to a large fireplace with ornate chairs in front of it. Then there were double doors that seemed to go out to a balcony. In one corner of the room was a desk and chair. And in another corner was a small dining table and chairs. 

There were two doors at the side of the room and Loki pointed them out. “The door to the left is the bathroom. The door to the right is the bedroom.” 

I could not help myself and had to open the bedroom door and again was stunned. In the middle of the room stood a beautiful old four poster bed. With blue curtains drawn and fastened around each of the bed posters. At the foot of the bed stood a large wooden trunk and to the side against the wall was a large dresser and wardrobe. Next to the door there was a vanity table with an elegant chair in front of it. Loki had remained in the first room and when I came back he was still standing a bit awkwardly in the center of the room. 

“I hope the room is to your liking?” he asked again. 

“To my liking? It’s beautiful! I feel like a princess inside a fairy-tale castle.” I could not help but add. “Are you sure I’m in the right room? It really looks more like it’s designed to house royalty.” 

Loki chuckled. He clearly thought my question was very funny. So I could not help but feel that I was missing something. 

“What’s so funny?” I asked but his chuckle was so contagious I could not help but laugh too. 

Loki walked over to one of the chairs near the fireplace and motioned me to sit with him. Which I did. 

“Like I said before.” He just said with a smile. “You ask the weirdest questions. But don’t worry you are in the right room. Just so you know the rooms of the resident royal family are much more luxurious and bigger than this one. If that helps calm you.” 

Hearing about a royal family instantly piqued my interest.  “So there is a royal family living in this palace? Like a real king and queen?” 

Loki nodded. “Yes, Asgard is ruled by the Allfather. He has a queen and two sons.” 

I decided to joke a bit to handle the nerves forming in my stomach. “Well, I just hope I don’t have to meet them. They might decide I’m just a burden and throw me in to the dungeons. You and Frigga have been very nice to me. I hope I won’t get myself or you in trouble.” 

This again made Loki chuckle. “I’m sorry to say that you cannot avoid the royal family even if you wished to.” 

This was a bit of a shock and I could feel the blood drain from my face. “But I don’t even know how to address them or what to do.” I could feel more nerves bubble up. The walk with Loki had calmed me a bit and gave me something else to think about. But now I could feel the stress of the situation come back to me. 

“I think you have been doing a fine job so far.” He said and I could see a little mischievous glint in his eyes. 

“I’ve been doing fine?” I stammered. “What is that supposed to mean?” I could see the smile on Loki’s face grow bigger. 

“Our Royal family consists of the Allfather and the Allmother. Named king Odin and queen Frigga. Their eldest son prince Thor, god of thunder and their youngest son. Prince Loki god of mischief and lies.” 

As his words left his lips I could see his eyes scan my face to gauge my reaction. All I could do is look back and blink like an owl. My mouth opening to say something but no words coming out. After a few moments some coherent thoughts came back in to my brain and I found my voice again. 

“Queen Frigga and her son prince Loki?” I said demurely and I could feel a blush creeping over my face. “Are these names very common in Asgard?” I could only hope he would say yes but I could see his mischievous grin only getting bigger. 

“No they are not commonly used. It’s even forbidden to name a child after a living member of the royal family.” As he said this he just kept looking at me. 

“Ugh please shoot me now.” I exclaimed and with this I dropped my face in to my hands. Earning me a full out Laugh from Loki. “So how many laws did I break today? While talking to you and your mother? I think I recall myself screaming and yelling to you both and even pushing you out of the way during my not so little mental breakdown.” 

“Actually quite a lot.” He snickered which made me groan into my hands again. 

“So I’m definitely gonna see the inside of the dungeons.” I muttered still not able to remove my hands from my face to look at him. My embarrassment and nerves now making it hard to breath. And I was glad I was sitting or I might have fallen over. I wanted nothing more than for the ground to open up and swallow me on the spot. 

After a few moments I could hear him rise from his chair and I felt his hands cover mine. Pulling them away from my face. He was kneeling in front of me. Our height difference making it so that he was only a tiny bit lower but we nearly were at eye level of each other. He moved my hands to my lap and kept them enclosed in his. 

“Don’t worry Aurora.” He said as he gave my hands a small squeeze. “My mother and I took no offense and you need not worry. You are my personal guest here in the castle and I will make sure that you will never end up in the dungeon. Tomorrow my mother and I will help you with the basic etiquettes required within the castle. If there are any questions feel free to ask either to me or my mother. I hope you will not treat me any different now you know I’m a prince. To be honest I find you candor very amusing so please don’t change.” 

His words sounded very sincere and I decided to trust my gut instinct and trust that he was. I nodded and could feel my nerves settling back down again as I relaxed. He gently released my hands and got back in his seat. 

 “So did I hear you correct when you said that you are not only a prince. But also a god? The god of mischief and lies?” 

This earning me another chuckle from him. “For a long time the people on Earth or Midgard as we call it have been worshipping the Æsir. They call the people from Asgard deity’s hence our title as gods. While not all Æsir have gifts. There are some who have a power or talent worthy enough to be granted a title by the Allfather. In rare occasions there even have been people granted special powers by the Allfather as reward for something they did. My brother has been granted the hammer Mjolnir gifting him with the control of Thunder. Explaining his full title.” 

I took this all in but still was very curious about the explanation of his title. I knew he had skirted my question. While he had answered and explained a lot. He had used his brother and his title to distract me. Not explaining his own. 

“While I now understand the titles I would still like to know why you are the god of mischief and lies. Don't think I did not notice you steering the conversation over to your brother’s title and away from yours.” 

This earning me a full out laugh from him. “It seems that you are far too smart Aurora. There is simply no fooling you.” He said with a big smile. 

And I could not help but smile back at him. 

“My title was earned in two fold. The title of god of mischief was earned at a very young age. Let’s just say that I had and still have the tendency to cause a bit of chaos and mayhem around the palace. Much to the dismay of the whole castle and its inhabitants.” 

Now I could not help myself from laughing as I saw that mischievous glint in his eyes. I could just picture Loki as a little boy pranking the whole castle and everyone in it. 

“The second title is not what it may seem.” And I could see his smile waver a bit and his features grow a bit tense. “By Midgardian folklore I’m a pathological liar and a teller of untruths.” 

I waited for him to go on as I could see his eyes drift back over to the fireplace. Something told me this part of his title was something he did not like as much as the mischief part. I waited a few more moments for him to continue but he did not. 

“I kind of find that hard to believe.” I said and I saw his eyes returning to look at me once more. Raising one of his eyebrows in the process. “I know I don’t know you very well or for even that long. But if your behavior towards me is any indication I find this hard to believe.” And I kept his gaze as he was still scanning my face. 

“You think you would be able to tell the difference if I would have been lying to you?” he said with a sudden menacing undertone in his voice. 

I could almost feel the carefree and relaxing atmosphere leave the room. I don’t know why suddenly there was this change in atmosphere or why I was even picking up on it so strongly.  But I could sense it was a sore subject for him. While his face was passive, almost too passive I could feel tension wave off his body. 

“I don’t know if I could tell the difference if you would truly lie to me.” I admitted honestly. “It’s just that talking with you has been nice. I would like to think that if this all has been one big lie or deception then I would not have felt as at ease as I seem to be in your presence.” 

The words left my mouth before I even had a chance to rethink them and I could feel a blush creeping over my face. Sure it was the truth and there was nothing wrong with what I said. But it was kind of weird how comfortable I really was in his presence after only spending a few moments talking with him. He kept looking at me and I could feel the atmosphere slowly changing back to a more relaxed state. But the blush was still on my face. I wanted to change the subject but before I knew what to say he continued. 

“While I’m very capable of deception and the telling of lies this is not the meaning of my title.” He said. “The thing with being the god of lies is more that I’m able to tell when other people lie.” He softly said after a few moments and his gaze drew back to the fire. 

His words combined with the slightly pained look on his face took a moment to sink in. 

“I can imagine that having such a gift might be hard.” With this I could almost feel his eyes scanning my face again. But I kept mine concentrated on the fire. “I can imagine that there are times where the hard truth is infinitely more painful than a well-crafted lie. If you have a gift for knowing when people lie I can only imagine the things you might catch them lying about. Sometimes it’s easier to believe the lie. Also, people usually don’t like it when someone can expose them for being a liar.” After a few seconds, I looked up from the fire to see the look on his face. 

The look in his eyes nearly took my breath away. There he was this young and handsome man. But the depth now displayed in his eyes showed pain and wisdom like his soul had lived for far longer than I could possibly image. But also the eyes of someone who had been hurt badly many times before. Within nothing more than a micro second he shielded his expression into a blank mask once more. But I could still feel the underlying hurt he'd been feeling just moments before. 

He softy let out a sigh. “It seems that I must revise my previous statement about you being smart.” Before I could react he added. “Aurora it seems that you are not only smart but also very wise for someone your age.” 

This sentence added to my growing feeling that the man in front of me was not as young and carefree as he appeared at first glance. But we just sat there for a few moments in silence enjoying the warmth of the fire. I could feel my eyelids growing heavy, the stress and emotion of the day taking its toll. 

“I can see that you’re getting tired.” He said and I saw him rise from the chair. 

I gave him a small smile. “You should think that after being asleep for more than two years I would be able to stay awake for more than a few hours.” I joked. 

“Your body is still getting adjusted to being awake again. So I think you should just listen to it and do as it wants for now. In your bedroom in the wardrobe you will find sleeping garments. Tomorrow my mother will assist you in choosing a chambermaid but I could send for a servant if you need any assistance to get ready for bed.” 

I just looked at him for a moment before I remembered that servants must be very normal for a prince. I really did not think I needed help with dressing and undressing but I would take this up with Frigga in the morning. 

“I think I can manage it on my own for this night.” And I gave him a small smile as we walked towards the door. 

He opened it and turned in the hallway. “Goodnight my lady I hope you sleep well.” The way he said it made it suddenly very real that I was standing in a palace talking to a prince in another realm. 

“Goodnight my prince.” I said with a little bow and a teasing smile forming on my lips. 

And I could see one form on his lips to. Slowly he turned and walked away into the long corridor. 

Suddenly even more tired I closed my door and walked in to the bedroom. In the bedroom I found a long and beautiful light blue nightgown. I changed in to it draping my green dress over the chair next to the bed and climbed in to the big four poster bed. As I laid down I could not help but think about the absurdity of all that had happened today. But I could not help but smile. It was not long before my eyes fell shut and I was out like a light. 

 


	4. Chapter 4

I awoke feeling very refreshed but it took me a moment to realize where I was. Looking at the grand surroundings the memories of the previous day came back to me. I just laid there trying to wrap my head around everything when I was greeted by a small knock on my bedroom door. Before I had any idea what to do or how to respond the door slowly opened and I was greeted with a warm smile on a familiar face. 

“Good morning dear, my son told me he showed you to your quarters last night. I hope they are to your liking.” 

I pulled back my blankets and hopped off the high bed. “Yes, the rooms are beautiful. I cannot see how they could not be to my liking.” I said as I gave Frigga a smile. But at the same time, I had the realization that the woman in front of me was the queen of Asgard. Suddenly I could feel my nerves coming back to me and I think she could sense that. 

“What’s wrong my dear? Are you quite alright?” She said as she placed her hand supportively on my arm. 

I looked at her and gave her a small smile. “It’s just that I find myself lost. You are the queen of Asgard and Loki is the prince and you both have been so wonderful to me. But I feel like a fish out of water. I don’t even know how I should address you. I have hundreds of questions and I don’t even know if I’m allowed to ask any of them.” 

I could see sympathy wash over Frigga’s face. “I can imagine this being very foreign and strange for you but I will do my best to help. Let’s go in to the sitting room and I will help you as much as possible.” 

We took the seats near the fireplace and Frigga started to talk. “First things first I think we should talk about addressing people in the castle. The basic rules are that if you are not familiar with a person that you must be introduced before being able to address them in public. But the introduction can be made by anyone who already knows the person in question. They will be introduced by rank and name. After that you can address that person by their rank if they are part of the royal family. You can use rank and name if they are on the same level of nobility with you. I shall give you an example." She said with a smile because I think my face betrayed my confusion. 

"You’ve were introduced to lady Eir yesterday. Her rank title is Lady so you can already tell she is a noble. If your rank would be lower than hers you would call her Lady. If it’s the same or higher, you can call her Lady Eir. When you get more acquainted with a person they can ask you to call them on first name basis. If they do this, you are considered a friend and you can call them without the title. Royals may call people below their rank as they please. But out of politeness we tend to never address someone just by their first name when it’s use is not offered to us. The only exception is with children but when they pass puberty this stops and we call them by title and name.” 

I nodded, these rules seemed straight forward and I think I could handle them. So, Frigga continued. 

“There are servants in the castle they can be recognized by their simpler attire. They can be approached at any time without an introduction. You don’t need to use or learn their name. But for them it’s considered a great honor when they are addressed with their name. So, if you find a service exemplary you can use their name as a compliment. Servants are never allowed to only use your name directly. They are to address you using only your rank but again if their service is exemplary they might be given the honor of addressing the person with rank and name.” 

Again, I nodded. While the whole idea of servants was very foreign to me. I could understand the concept. But I was finding it hard not to feel bad for those distinct differences. They were just people the same as any lord or lady. Just because one had a rank did not make them a better person than a servant. But I decided to stay quiet on this point. I didn’t want to antagonize anyone at this point. 

“And lastly we have the royal family." She continued. "This includes me, my husband and my two sons or any visiting royals. While Odin and I do have the title Allfather and Allmother this is the most formal title. Only used when you are a stranger in the palace. People usually address us with my king or my queen. In the case of Loki and Thor they will call them my prince. When an acquaintance grows more fondly the member of the royal family might ask if you would call them as Queen Frigga or King Odin. This is thought of as an honor to be allowed the use of the name and is usually reserved for the elite of society and diplomats. The highest honor is when someone of the royal family asks you to use their first name. While at official events or in a conversation with other people you still would be expected to add the tile in front of the name. But in a private or casual setting you can call them on a first name basis. This is a sign that you are considered as close as family and holds a lot of value in this castle.” With this Frigga looked back at me with a smile. “Do you have any questions?” 

“No my queen.” I added with a smile “But I can see that there must be a whole underlying hierarchy in this court. One you can only uncover by listening to how people address each other.” 

With this she let out a laugh. “Loki told me you were very astute. I think you will fit in here quite fast and quite well. But my dear please call me Frigga.” 

Now I could not help but give her a full out smile as I was honored and surprised at this gesture. As I realized what this meant. 

"In that case thank you Frigga. I really appreciate this honor." I said softly and I meant it. "Please call me Aurora.” I added and was rewarded with a big smile in return. 

She gave me a bit of a sad look as she continued. “I feel for you my dear. You are all alone in this strange land and even though we have not spoken much I can already tell I like you. So maybe it’s a bit silly but I hope you come to see me as family. I love my family very dearly and I could only imagine how it must feel to be alone in a strange land without even the memory of them. So, I hope I can help and make you feel less alone here.” 

I felt the sincerity of her words and needed to swallow a few times to get the emotional lump out of my throat. She was a wonderful and warm person. 

“Thank you so much for that.” I said softly. “I know I have been here for two years already but for me it has just been a couple of days. So yes, it all still feels very weird and foreign. But truly I’m very glad to have someone as kind as you and the prince in my corner. I would not know what to do if I didn't have you both to help and teach me.” 

Frigga patted my hand and gave me a small reassuring smile. “Aurora the next thing I would like to discuss with you is your title.” 

This was something I did not expect. Sure, I was already amazed with the hospitality I’d received but never thought about having a title. I wanted to open my mouth to tell her I needed no such thing but I was distracted when she raised and opened her hand as she continued to explain. In her hand lay some jewelry and I recognized it as my own. 

“When my son found you and brought you to the castle we looked through your belongings. I hope you can forgive us my dear. But the thing we deducted is that while we don’t know your background on Midgard. Your belongings are of a very high standard. Not only the craftsmanship of your clothes but also the value of your jewelry.” And with this I looked back at my jewelry she had in her hand. 

“You see we found that not only are the green stones in your jewelry real emeralds. The metal is White gold.” With this Frigga looked at me expectantly. 

While I understood what she said I could not help fathom why this would change things. So, I just decided I would ask. 

“I don’t mind and even understand you looking through my things. I was out for 2 years so I can understand you wanting to know more about me. I’m sorry that now that I’m awake I still cannot be more of a help to you on that part. But I must say that I don’t know the importance of the stones or the metal. I’m glad that they are of high value but I don’t understand their importance.” I admitted. 

I could see Frigga nod and think a bit before she answered me. “In Asgard and other realms with the same type of formal rules." She added quickly. "White gold is a metal reserved for royalty. It’s even considered a serious crime for a non-royal to wear any jewelry made of white gold.” 

This shocked me and I think my eyes nearly went double the size. “Frigga I’m sorry I didn’t know and I hope I have not offended you.” I nearly exclaimed but at the same time an idea formed in my mind.  “It would be my honor if you would accept my jewelry as a gift. You and Loki have done so much for me and there will be no way for me to repay you for what you have done. Keeping me safe and caring for me for over two years without even knowing me. I could never repay you. But not only that, even now when I’m awake I will be even more indebted to your kindness. So, if my jewelry is as precious as you've just told me it is. I would be honored if you would take it as a gift.” 

I saw Frigga’s eyes widen in surprise. “Aurora you understand that with this jewelry you could claim yourself a princess?” 

I gave her a smile and shook my head. “But I don’t think I’m a princess." I said as I looked at her. "While I cannot remember anything about my past I still have some sense telling me some things.  Like with my phone I knew what it was and how it would work. But when I see my jewelry or think about your words. I just get this feeling that I’m not princess and I don’t want to falsely claim a title I have no right to.” 

I looked over at Frigga and I saw her looking at me in a curious way. After a few moments she raised her hand and put the jewelry in mine. 

“I have given your situation a great deal of thought and last night I spoke to Odin about you. We concluded that given all the circumstances you will be given the title of Princess of Midgard. You must understand that within Asgard there is a prejudice against people of Midgard. While not many people in the castle will openly confront you about being from Midgard we feel that combined with the title of princess we can offer you the best possible protection.” 

Now I really did not know what to think or say and again I just sat there for a second with my mouth open. It took me a moment to compose myself. “I hope you don’t take this the wrong way" I said very carefully. "Please understand that I’m very grateful for all you did and still do for me. I will do what you and the King think is best. But are you sure such high rank is not wasted on me?” 

Frigga smiled. “First let me explain my people. While Æsir are in most ways almost the same as Midgardians we are gifted with seidr. The more seidr a person has the more magic he or she can produce. But every Æsir has a basic level of seidr and as a results our bodies are stronger and more resilient. Compared to Midgardians we heal at a very fast rate. It also grants us a much longer life span. Where Midgardians currently at best have a life span of 50 to 75 years a normal Æsir can reach at least 5000 years and more. This all because of our seidr. Therefore, there are Æsir who consider Midgardians insignificant and far below them just because of their lack of strength and short life span.” 

If my eyes were big before when I learned about magic now they must be nearly falling out of my eye sockets. I was tempted to ask Frigga her age because in my eyes she looked like no older than 38. But even I knew now was not the time for this. I was at a loss for what to say and I think Frigga noticed it. 

“I can understand this might be a lot to take in my dear but I assure you it’s the truth. It's for this reason I would ask you to accept the title of Princess. This would assure you the respect of any Æsir regarding your birth. The knowledge of your presence has been kept from the people in the castle. If you agree we would like to formally introduce you to court in two days. This gives us enough time to prepare a wardrobe for you. Not many people have much information or interest in Midgard so we don't think you will be asked a lot of questions about your home. But since your last name is Williams we thought we would introduce you as Princess Aurora Wiliamsdóttir. Odin has a few connections and even allies on Midgard. We will inform people that your father the king has passed. We would claim that your life has been threatened when people started fighting over the succession of your throne. With your family loyal to Odin he granted you passage to Asgard where you can live out your life until a time that it’s safe for you to return to Midgard. There are none who would challenge Odin in this or even suspect this to be untrue as there is not much information publicly known about Midgard’s rulers. But I must ask you for as much as your own sake as for ours to stick to this story. Because we do not want any trouble or discourse with our people.” 

I didn’t want to lie or present myself in any other way then I was. But this story was vague enough so that I would not have to work hard to remain my cover. The only thing I would have to say was that I was a princess and that my father was King Williams and the rest if needed I could fill in myself. 

“Frigga are you sure this is needed to protect me at court? For I will do as you ask but I still don’t like the fact that I will be pretending to be a princess while I’m not. Like I said please don’t take this the wrong way because I’m grateful for the honor. But I really don’t want to cause more trouble or inconvenience than I have already created.” 

This earned me a warm smile from Frigga. “You are a kind soul Aurora. But I have looked at this situation many times and I believe this is the best course of action.” 

I saw a flash of determination cross her face and I knew there was no point to argue further. She had made up her mind. So, I accepted the situation. “Then I hope I will live up to your expectation. I will do my best not to let you down.” 

This earned me another warm smile from her. The rest of the morning went by in a blur. Frigga helped me pick a chambermaid who would help me with various things I might need. She assured me that the girl was loyal and discreet and she would help me with any questions I had. But I had to maintain my cover as princess even towards her. Any questions I had I could ask her under the pretense I was new to Asgard and did not know it's rules. It was a lovely young girl named Yara and she had long straight blond hair and big blue eyes. Then there were the dress makers. Who took all my measurements and gave some readymade dresses I could wear. They quickly altered them so they fit perfectly and left me a variety of shoes. It seemed I was a bit smaller than usual because all the hems had to be shortened. 

In the middle of all this a small brunch was served in my chambers which I ate with Frigga and before I knew it the morning had flown by. Around 13:30 Frigga had excused herself to attend some other things I would need before my introduction. But she told me that for now she would request me to stay in my room. After the introduction, she would show me around the castle but for now it was best that I kept to my rooms and not be seen by anyone in the castle. With that she left. 

Yara helped me to navigate my bathroom. My eyes were big as saucers as I saw my bath. Although it was so big I could have a party in the bath with 10 people if I wanted to. Yara told me it was a standard size bath for nobles which had my head spinning. She showed me how I could adjust the temperature. Knowing I had some time to kill I decided to take a bath. After relaxing for a while I started washing my body and hair with the bottles Yara had shown me. She had asked me to call her when I was ready. She had left me a towel and undergarments so I quickly dried myself and put them on. Wrapping my long wet hair in the towel. 

“I’m ready.” I called and within moments she came in to the bathroom. 

“If my princess will follow me to the bedroom I will help you dress and do your hair.” She said as she held the door open for me. 

I could not help but think this whole princess thing was very weird but quickly remembered what Frigga had asked me. I had to play along with the whole princess thing so it would be best for the next two days to accept this fact and hopefully to get used to it in private. Yara helped me in to a soft robe and motioned towards the vanity table and chair in my bedroom and I sat down. The vanity was filled bottles and vials and Yara held some up for me to smell. She explained that I could choose the scent I liked and that all my beauty products would be made to my preference. I decided on a scent with tiny hint of a vanilla like smell and one that smelled like Jasmine. The two-combined made a light sweet but fresh smell. I liked it very much as it just gave a hint sweetness but still smelled very fresh and not overpowering. 

She then started working on my hair and with the help of another bottle my hair was dry and beautifully curled in no time. Which was quite amazing since my hair was now very long and would have taken hours to dry under normal circumstances. She loosely braided a few of my long locks around my head so that the mass of my hair was loose but the braids pulled out of my face. 

I was glad she helped me getting dressed into the beautiful blue gown the seamstresses had left me. I already thought that the pale green gown I had worn was beautiful but this was even more amazing. The blue bodice fitting like a second skin. The long blue layers of fabric cascading down around me and the softness of the fabric felt like heaven. It was beautiful and Frigga had decided that all my gown colors should complement my fiery red hair. So, it would be an array of blue, green and even purple gowns. It seemed that my hair color was quite rare in Asgard and she wanted to make the most of it. 

The whole bathing and dressing had only cost me about 30 minutes. But only because of Yara’s help. When I looked in to the mirror I was surprised to see the person looking back at me. She looked almost like a real princess. I loved the fact that makeup was not a big deal in Asgard. They used a small amount of some form of mascara and eyeliner to accentuate one’s eyes. The other thing they seemed obsessed about was their skin it seemed. Yara showed me several potions you could use to keep your skin looking flawlessly. They seemed to love the natural look. 

I was just ready when there was a small knock on my door. Yara removed herself from my bedroom to answer it. After a few moments she came back. 

“My princess, the prince is here to see you. I hope you don't mind but I told him you were nearly ready and would be out to meet him in a few minutes. If there is anything you need just call for me and I will be back.” With that and a small curtsy she started to leave my room. But she stopped as I addressed her. 

“Thank you Yara. I hope you would do me the honor of addressing me as princess Aurora.” I said with a smile. I wanted to befriend her as she had been so helpful and very nice to me. 

“It would be my honor princess Aurora.” She said with an enormous smile on her face. “Is there anything else princess Aurora?” 

For a second I realized I did have a question for her. “Yes I do have another question. How will you hear me if I call for you?” I was very curious as to how the girl would be able to hear me she wouldn't be near or even in the room. 

“Magic princess Aurora. I’m your maid so if you call out for your maid by title or by name I will know and I will come to serve you.” With a big smile and another curtsy, she left. 

I took one glance back in my mirror and walked towards the sitting room where I presumed Loki would be waiting. And like I predicted I could see him standing near the fireplace waiting for me. 

“Good day my prince.” I said to him with a little smile. 

Loki turned around to look at me and I could not help but notice his eyes widen a bit clearly surprised by how I looked. But he regained his composure soon enough. But I could not help but feel a little flutter in my stomach just the same. 

“I see my mother has been teaching you about addressing people within the palace?” Loki said while motioning towards the chair as he sat down in the other one. 

I made my way towards the other chair and sat myself down too. 

“Yes, we had a long talk this morning and she told me a lot of things. I still have a lot of questions but she had to leave and prepare for my formal introduction. So now I have to hide for two days and then I’m free to roam the castle.” I said as I looked at him and I could see the surprise on his face. 

“Your formal introduction? Usually when a lady is received at court there is no formal introduction. They are just presented to my father and mother. During the evening and then their off to do as they please." 

I could not help but snicker at the clear confusion on his face. 

“Prince Loki then it would seem that your mother has not informed you of her plans concerning my new status.” I tried to sound as royal and formal as possible and I could see the confusion grow even further. It was too much to take and I just ended up laughing. 

“I’m sorry.” I managed to get out between laughs. “But you should see the look on your face it’s really quite funny.” 

Again, this mischievous glint form in Loki’s eyes flared. “You know it’s very impolite to laugh at a prince.” He said in a threatening tone but I could clearly see that he did not mean it as he had a big smile on his face. “This prince might have to find a way to get even.” 

This whole situation was very funny but I could not help myself but to engage Loki. He might be the god of mischief. But I was not the kind of person who would let him win a challenge without at least trying to get even. 

“Well, then you should know it’s very impolite to threaten a princess. She might find a way to retaliate. Then we might endanger the peace between both our kingdoms.” And I tried to get this out without laughing but seeing the confused look on his face was enough to make me laugh again. 

“Mother is going to give you the title of princess?” He said shocked and I could see the disbelief clearly plastered on his face. 

I nodded slowly coming back from my laughing fit. “It seems she and the King have talked it over. This having to do with the fact that my jewelry is made of white gold and real gemstones. And the fact that me being from Midgard might otherwise be a problem.” The smile dropping a bit from my face. “I offered her my jewelry as payment for all you have done for me and hoped it would somehow repay the debt I'm in. But she would not take it and instead I’m now Princess Aurora Wiliamsdóttir. An orphan princess from Midgard seeking refuge with friends of my late father. I was forced to flee in fear of my life because people threaten my line of succession.” I let out a sigh. I still was not very comfortable with the fact that I had to lie to a lot of people. 

I could feel Loki’s eyes scanning my face. “You don’t like the idea of being a princess?” 

I shook my head. “I don’t like pretending to be a princess. While I don’t know about my past I do know that I’m not a princess. I told your mother that I’m honored that she takes such great lengths to keep me safe but a lower rank would be just as agreeable to me.” I paused a bit but continued. “She told me that she had looked at this from every angle and she thought this was the best way. So who am I to argue? Frigga has done so much for me already if she thinks this is the way to go then I will do as she and the king wish.”  I looked back at Loki to see what he thought. 

I could see he was thinking this over. “It’s usually wise to follow my mother’s lead. Especially if she ever comments on having foreseen things. She is the goddess of love, marriage and Destiny. She tends to foresee future events. So, I just tend to do as she says most of the time. Especially with things like this. She can be quite determined. I’m just amazed she got my father to agree to this. Seeing as he normally is far more reserved in these kinds of things.” 

This I could understand. It was hardly a normal thing I thought for a random stranger to get one of the highest ranks in a palace just because she was a mortal. Furthermore, the way I had arrived and been at their mercy these last two years was not something in my favor. 

I just sat there a moment with him in a comfortable silence. Both of us thinking. 

 “I could not help but notice you called my mother Frigga and still refer to my father as the king. Why is that?” Loki asked after a few minutes had gone by. 

I looked up at him puzzled by his question. “Well that’s the right way of addressing them I thought. I was under the presumption that if I was on first name basis with a royal I could address her like that in company of her family. But since I've never met your father I would not presume to call him by anything but his title. Did I get it wrong?” 

This seemed to surprised him again. “So you are on first name basis with my mother?” 

“Well yes. She asked me to call her Frigga. I said I would be honored and asked her to call me Aurora. Did I get the rules wrong?” 

Loki just looked at me for a moment. His eyes scanning my face again as if I was a book and the answer was written on my face. “No, it’s just that my mother is not known to extend these kinds of courtesies that often and especially not this fast. She takes these kinds of things very seriously and there are only a handful of people outside of her family that are allowed to call her that." 

I took a moment to think his words over. I already was honored by her request before I knew all of this but now even more so. It was true that I liked Frigga. She was a warm and gentle person and when she was around I felt at ease. The sort of feeling I would think you would have if you were in the presence of your own mother. But my thoughts were interrupted when Loki spoke again. 

“I know I’m breaking our own rules of etiquette. But can I please continue to call you Aurora?” 

I could see a vulnerability behind his eyes while he asked this and I could sense it was a big deal for him. I could not help but smile at him. “I wouldn't have it any other way. I hope I may call you Loki?” I said as I smiled. 

“I would really like that.” He answered with a smile of his own. “So what are you planning to do today?” 

“Well, nothing to be honest. As you might remember I’m trapped inside my room for two days.” I slouched back in to my chair a bit in disappointment. “I really want to go and explore the castle. Or maybe go outside because the weather looks heavenly but I must suffer I think.” I dramatically placed my hand over my forehead which earned me a chuckle from Loki. “But tell me your plans for today? The life of a prince must be far more entertaining. Than that of a princess locked in her room for two days.” 

He grinned and looked out of the windows. “Well I was about to go for a ride and visit Fenrir this afternoon. I thought I would check up on him as it has been some time since I visited him.” 

This grabbed my attention. I almost forgot about the huge wolf in the woods. “Aw that’s too bad. I wish I could have gone with you. I would like to see Fenrir again. I know it’s been two years since I’ve seen him but for me it still feels like it was just last week when he was hurt. I would have liked to see how he's doing." 

“You would like to accompany me if I went to see Fenrir?” Loki asked almost in shock. 

Instantly I regretted my words. The look on Loki's face told me I must have made a terrible awkward or wrong suggestion in wanting to accompany him. “Loki I'm sorry and very uncomfortable. Did I say something wrong? Is me wanting to go see Fenrir with you something shocking and not done by a female in Asgard?” I could feel a blush creeping up my face. He looked so shocked you would think I would have proposed to have sex. Not to go and see a giant puppy. “I just wanted to go outside and go see the giant wolf. He was very hurt when I saw him last but still very sweet and I would love to see him again.” 

Loki just sat there and blinked a few times. Making me feel even more unsure. 

“Loki please say something.” I nearly begged. 

He blinked again like he was coming out of a deep thought and he gave me a sad smile. “No, it's nothing like that. It’s just that Fenrir is something of a taboo in Asgard. People know of his existence but they would never volunteer to go see him. Two years ago, when I was away, Sif and the warriors three were forced by my father to go to him. But they only did that because the king ordered them too. Besides me no one ever visits him and the whole court likes to act as if he does not exist.” 

His words truly surprised me. “Well I don’t understand why. Sure, he’s a big wolf but he seemed very nice. Or maybe I’m mistaken and he only was nice to me because I helped him with his wounds.” The last bit more a question then a statement. 

“No Fenrir is very nice" Loki added quickly. "If he was nice to you while he was wounded, he would do nothing to harm you now. I was amazed that he allowed you that close to him when he was hurt. But then he always has been a very good judge of character. He was quite protective of you when I found you in the forest. That's one of the reasons why I did my best to convince my parents to care for you for as long as you needed. Not that it was hard to convince my mother.” This made him smile. Suddenly that mischievous glint was back in his eyes. “You know what? I’m taking you to see him.” And with that he rose from his chair. 

“But I’m not allowed to leave my room. Loki, I don’t want to make trouble. I’m too much in debt with your parents as it is.” I sighed. While I wanted to go with him I meant every word. I would not cause problems. 

“No but there is a difference.” Loki said with the same glint in his eyes. “You are not allowed to be seen outside of your room or in the palace.” 

“How do you think I could even go and see Fenrir without being seen?" I asked laughing. "The second I step outside it's game over. There must be hundreds of people and servants down those corridors.” I said a bit confused and I could feel Loki was enjoying my confusion. 

“Just leave it to me.” Loki said and before he reached my door he turned “I’ll be back in about 20 minutes.” With that he turned and left my room. 

 


	5. Chapter 5

Loki could be very strange I thought to myself. Not strange in a bad way but I got the distinct feeing that that mischievous look could get me in to some real trouble if I was not careful.

 I was pacing in my room waiting for Loki to return when suddenly I turned around and walked straight in to something hard. I nearly screamed but I felt an arm wrap around me and a hand cover my mouth. As I looked up I saw Loki looking at me with a big grin on his face and after a few seconds he removed his hand from my mouth.

“Sorry to startle you but I thought it best if you did not scream.” And with that he let me go and took a step back.

He was dressed in his normal leather outfit. But over it he had a dark green leather sleeveless coat. I couldn't help but notice he looked very handsome. But I quickly recovered enough sense to push that thought far away.

“How the hell did you get in to my room? I was facing the door before I turned and walked in to you!” My voice was nearly a full octave higher than it should be and Loki laughed again.

“I’m sorry Aurora. I used magic and teleported in to your room. I’m very sorry I scared you.”

While I could still see that he thought it pretty funny I could also feel that he really did not mean to upset me. So, I just gave him a soft punch on his shoulder. “The next time you scare me like that I will get my revenge just so you know.” I threatened and he raised his hands in mock surrender.

He slowly moved one hand and with flick of his wrist there was a bundle of fabric in his hand. He unfolded the fabric and I could see it was a sort of a cape. It was dark blue and he carefully draped it over my shoulders and fastened the clasp around my neck. There were two slits on the front side of the cape where I could put my arms through. The whole cape was just long enough to reach the tops my thighs.

“Now Aurora I need you to do as I say.” He said and made sure I was paying attention to him. “I will perform some magic so you will be invisible to any but myself. Then I will wrap my arms around you and teleport us to the stables. There my horse is saddled and waiting. Seeing as no one can know you are with me I will quickly place you on my horse and mount behind you. As soon as we've cleared the palace and the city I will lift the invisibility from you. Is this ok?” He looked at me to see if I understood his plan.

I just blinked for a few moments and then a smile crept over my face. “Now I see the distinction between not leaving my room and not being seen leaving my room. You really are a god of mischief aren’t you?” This earning me a very big smile.

“You don’t even know half of it.” He simply replied. “But I must warn you I can make you invisible but I cannot mask any sound you make. So please until I talk to you I urge you to be quite ok?”

“That I can do. But just so you know I don’t remember ever riding a horse. So please don’t drop me or I will scream.” And I pointed my finger at him as a warning.

Loki smiled and placed his hand over his heart and bowed “I give you my word I won’t let you fall.”

He took a step forward and placed his hand on the side of my face. I saw him close his eyes and I could feel a warm tingle flow over me. When he opened his eyes, he smiled at me.

“Ok that was the first part. Now for the teleportation. Just remember to keep relaxed and calm and you will be fine.” He softly said and he wrapped one arm around me pressing me firmly against his chest. Before I had a chance to respond I was greeted by a sensation that was like falling from a high cliff and I had to do my best not to make any sounds. After a few seconds I could feel my feet come in contact with the floor again and when I opened my eyes and I saw I was now outside. There were a lot of people out and about and it looked like I was in a large courtyard. In front of me there was a large black horse. I could feel Loki release his hold on me and he took some time to look around.

He walked over to his horse and I followed. Checking again to see if anyone was watching he turned to me. With one swift motion, he grabbed my waist with both hands and like I weighed nothing lifted me from the ground and placed me on the horse. He gave me a moment to regain my balance which was quite hard with both my legs on one side of the horse but I managed. In one swift and very agile motion he mounted the horse behind me. He placed one arm around my middle and gently pulled me into his chest so I had something to lean in to. I shifted a bit so I could straighten my cape so that it was not uncomfortable and he motioned the horse to walk. Still feeling a bit unsteady as I had nothing to hold on I decided to lean in to him. Placing one hand on my own lap. With the other I gripping the lapel of his coat.

I could feel his chest rumble with a soft chuckle and he said in a soft whisper. “I promise Aurora I won’t let you fall you can stop holding your breath.”

I realized I indeed was holding my breath and relaxed a bit. I took the time to look around at the beauty of my surroundings. We were just leaving a side gate of the palace and before me was a giant city. Loki maneuvered through busy streets and I could see people looking at him. But he just rode on not acknowledging them. After a lot of turns we reached the edge of the city. In the distance I could see valleys of green stretched out for miles. To the left side and far in the distance there was what looked like a giant forest. On the right side there appeared to be a sea. But the most beautiful thing was a colorful bridge stretching from the palace to a golden dome at the edge of the waterfront. The bridge looked like it was made of crystal and was covered in thousands of glimmering rainbows. The view nearly taking my breath away. I could feel Loki’s grip tighten around my waist when we cleared the city and he whispered. “Don’t be alarmed I’m going to ride faster now. Just follow the movement of the horse and trust me.” And with that the horse sped up to an almost alarming speed. But after a few moments I could feel a steady rhythm form and I trusted Loki to not let me fall.

After awhile I could feel a new tingling sensation run through my body and I instantly knew he had made me visible again.

“So I’m visible again?” I asked softly in case I still was not allowed to talk.

“Yes, how did you know?” he sounded quite surprised. He did not whisper so I took this as a cue that I didn’t have to be quiet anymore.

“Easy. There was this tingling sensation when you made me invisible. So, when I felt it again I just assumed you made me visible again.”

I could hear him chuckle. “Well it’s funny you should have felt it at all. Because the magic does not change anything physically. so, the wearer of the illusion should not feel anything. Because it creates a layer around the person and does not change the person itself.” Loki explained.

I still found his magic very fascinating and I decided to just ask the questions I had. “So is that why with teleportation I felt like I was falling from a great height? Because in that case you actually changed the location from my body?”

 This seemed to get another reaction from Loki. Because now I could see him looking at me. Scanning my face again. “It felt like you were falling?” he asked.

I just nodded and he seemed to ponder my answer again. After a short moment he said. “That’s also unusual. It’s the exact way I would describe I feel when I teleport but you should not have felt a thing. You see the more Seidr a person has the more reaction your body has when preforming magic. A normal Æsir has only a little and even they don’t even feel the effects of those spells. But people of Midgard have no seidr so it does not make sense that you should feel my magic when I use it.”

I could see him think about the whole situation once more. I decided to give him some time to think while I enjoyed the sun on my face and the slight breeze through my hair. I was glad Loki had thought of a cape or I surely would have been cold. Although the sun was lovely it was not quite as warm as it had looked from my window.  I looked back up again at Loki and hoped he wasn’t cold. But he looked fine so I assumed he might have used magic to keep himself warm or that he was more immune to cold then a mere mortal like myself.

After a few seconds something Loki said came back to me. “Loki, you said that the normal Æsir has only a little magic and you have quite a lot. Are there a lot of Æsir with a lot of magic like you?”

He let out a sigh but he did answer. “High concentrations of seidr like mine are rare. A male with a high concentration of seidr is even rarer. There are a lot of people in Asgard who have seidr but can only use a certain spectrum of its power. Like Lady Eir. She is a healer all of her seidr is concentrated in healing. But I have an affinity for all the spectrums of seidr. It has happened before in the generations but normally it’s still only something a female would have. I always thought that since both my parents have a high concentration of seidr I inherited this from them.”

I could feel his shoulders tense a bit as he explained this to me. And I could tell this was not his favorite subject to talk about. We rode a bit in silence after that while I tried to gather up the courage to ask my next question.

“Loki is it hard for you to be different from the rest?” I looked up so I could look at his face and I quickly added. “Frigga told me to expect people on Asgard to be harsh and judgmental towards me. Just because I’m different and from Midgard. Is this the same for you because you differ from the norm set here on Asgard?” I kept looking and I could see a lot of emotions cross over his face.

After a few moments he slowed down his horse to a slower pace. He looked down into my eyes. “You are very perceptive Aurora.” The sigh I could hear him make made me sad all of the sudden.

I looked at him and it was like he was debating with himself whether to say more or leave it at this. But he did continue.

“While people tend to treat me with the highest regards it’s only because I’m a prince. I have very few friends and even the friends I have are more my brother’s friends. Asgard is a society who worships the brave and strong. And while I consider myself both the fact that I use logic and magic diminishes my achievements in their eyes. Unlike my brother Thor who just runs into a situation and smashes his way through it like a beast.”

He was still looking into my eyes as he talked and I was surprised it was very comfortable to hold his gaze.  So, I gave him a reassuring smile.

“It sounds like Asgard is full with narrow minded people.” Before I thought about it I turned a bit further so I could wrap my arms around his middle. Pulling him in for a hug resting my head against his chest.

At first I felt a bit stupid. It was not like I knew him that well. Why did I go and hug him? I could feel the tension in his body. He clearly was uncomfortable and I was feeling very stupid. But as I wanted to pull back and pretend nothing had happened I felt his body relax and he pulled his arms around me hugging me back.

While still in his arms I softly said. “Loki, I really could use a real friend through all of this. Believe it or not but I’m quite scared when I think about my future on Asgard. I don’t know what I would have done without you and Frigga these last few days.” I tried to keep my tears in check but I could not help one or two of them falling down my face. I was beginning to feel embarrassed for breaking down so I removed an arm from his side so I could wipe away the tears that were rolling down my cheeks. I was interrupted by Loki who placed his hand under my chin and pulled my face up so I would look him in the eye.

“I will be your friend for as long as you will have me Aurora.” He said in a solemn but gentle voice. “You have trusted me and acted kinder towards me than any I have known outside of my family. This I promise to you.” With his thumb he pushed away the last tear from my face.

“Thank you.” Was all I could muster as I looked into his intense eyes and I quickly gave him another hug. “I will do my very best to deserve your friendship. I don’t know why but I’ve the feeling that Asgard is full of idiots. If they cannot befriend someone as nice as you they must be idiots. So, if that’s true I’m going need all the true friends I can get.”

This made Loki laugh the loudest laugh I had heard from him since I met him. As we reached the forest I could not help but look all around me. The last time I had been here I didn’t get the chance to see all the beauty it beheld. There were large tree’s and beautiful and exotic flowers. Little squirrel like animals jumping from tree to tree. It was quite beautiful and I would not mind spending a lot of time here. But even as we rode I could see Loki’s eyes watching the forest like a hawk.

After riding along for a while I could see the clearing appear in front of us. Loki’s horse grew a bit restless but Loki just stroked his or her long man     a bit and it calmed down. At the edge of the clearing Loki jumped off and helped me down. After a few steps I could see Fenrir lying in a ray of sunshine next to the tree. As we walked towards him his ears changed and pointed in our direction but his eyes closed. As we got even closer I could see his nose sniff and he opened his eyes to look at us. When he saw me and Loki he jumped to his feet and he just looked very happy. His tail wagging from side to side and I could not help but smile. As I thought to myself his resemblance now was that of a giant puppy.

Suddenly I heard a voice but I was unable to locate the direction it came from.

_“Father! I was hoping to see you again. I see you brought my friend.”_

I stood still for a moment to see where the voice had come from. Loki looked at me with a puzzled look on his face but I just shrugged and continued forward. When we reached Fenrir, Loki laid a soft hand on his muzzle.

 “Fenrir may I introduce you to Princess Aurora of Midgard. Princess Aurora this is Fenrir.” Loki said with a smile.

I could see Fenrir look at me and bow a bit. It was funny to see the big wolf bow.

“Hello Fenrir.” I said with a smile. “It’s been a while hasn’t it? I hope you have recovered from your wounds. I’m sorry for the pain I caused when I pulled out the shard.” I was looking at him when I suddenly heard that strange voice again.

_“Father, can you tell her that I’m very grateful for her tending to my wounds and that I’m very happy that she has recovered herself.”_

I jumped a bit and I could not believe what I just heard. Because this was clearly a reply formulated over what I said to Fenrir. But even if the wolf could speak the voice had not come from him, at least not from his body. I was staring at Fenrir and was startled when Loki put his hand on my arm.

Loki was watching my face and I could see he was worried. “Are you alright? You look spooked and you don’t have to be. Fenrir is your friend and he wanted me to tell you that he’s grateful….”

But I could not let him finish and I almost rudely interrupted him. “He’s grateful I helped him and he’s happy I’m recovered.” I looked back at Loki and now it was his turn to look spooked. “I heard a voice.”  I explained. “But it did not come from Fenrir. It was like it was inside my head and not coming from him. Also, why does that voice call you father?”

Suddenly that voice was there again.  _“You can hear me?”_

While I still found it very creepy I just thought I would answer. “Yes? Who are you? Are you Fenrir?”

I could see Fenrir look at me with big eyes and he nodded.  _“Yes I’m Fenrir.”_

By the look Fenrir and Loki were giving me I was guessing me hearing him was not exactly normal. “So me being able to hear you is not something that happens a lot?” I asked and I knew I was stating the obvious. I could see Loki slowly shake his head.

After a few moments of silence Fenrir added _. “No, the only one able to hear me speak is my father.”_  And he looked at Loki.

Now I looked over at Loki who was still staring at me. “You’re his father?”

But Loki just stood there not saying anything. Just looking at me with his big blue eyes. I tried to take a step towards him so I could touch his arm. But he backed away from me like I was trying to hurt him. A look of distrust flashed over his face and I could see him straighten his emotions and a blank look fall in place.

“What are you?” he asked with a cold tone in his voice.

The cold tone and how he reacted hurt me more than I would have thought. I felt like a balloon slowly deflating. My hands falling to my sides. “Loki, I’m me. I’m Aurora the same person I have been since I met you. Your kind of scaring me right now. Can you please tell me what’s wrong?” and I looked at Fenrir hoping to get any help at this point.

But there was just more silence. Loki was just standing there looking at me with this strange blank but almost hostile and cold look on his face. For the first time since I was in Asgard I could feel myself getting angry. I knew it was probably stupid to get angry. But it was kind of a defense mechanism. “Are you just going to stand there or are you going keep scaring the shit out of me with your stare?” I said. My voice clearly as unstable as I felt.  

I could see a flash of anger cross Loki’s face and with a very cold tone he again asked. “I asked you who you are. Are you a trick Aurora? Trying to befriend me and then lure me in some devilish plot like that witch Angrboda did. Or even better are you related to that witch since you clearly can hear Fenrir? TELL ME!” The last part he shouted towards me with so much venom it took my breath away.

I'd never seen Loki like this. He was cold and I could see anger behind his eyes but I could also feel this lingering sense of darkness emanating from him. To be honest he scared me and for the first time since I awakened on Asgard I felt totally alone. All anger now slowly replacing with sadness I had to do my best not to cry. I didn’t want to cry. To be honest I hated crying and I would do my best to keep the tears back and not let him see me cry.

I took a deep breath in the hope that the tears would be pushed back. Then I looked at him and with a calmer voice I tried to reason with him. “I’m Aurora, I’m not a trick. I don’t know who the hell Angr-whatshername is and the last time I checked I’m a human and no witch.”

There was nothing but silence and that angry stare of his was still there. Again, my anger flared. “Loki, I thought you were my friend and that we would go and visit Fenrir. If I knew that me hearing his voice would freak you out this much I wouldn’t have said anything.”  I knew I had to calm myself but this angry stare of his was doing nothing to calm me. So, I continued and I could hear myself getting louder and louder.

“But what the hell Loki? You told me I could ask you anything. Even if it was inappropriate you would help me and not get mad.” I was shouting at him now. Angry tears freely falling over my face. “I don’t know why me hearing Fenrir is such a big deal. Don’t you get it I fucking don’t know anything? I’m totally alone and out of my depth here. I’m in a freaking strange world and I have no memory whatsoever. I thought I was lucky to have a friend who would help me navigate this world even when things go wrong. But it seems it was too good to be true.” I was so angry at this point I just could not take the look of anger that was now on his face. I turned around and started walking away. I was tired and emotional. I wanted to go back to the castle and to my room. I wanted to go to bed and sleep and hopefully the world would be kind and swallow me back up for another 2 years.

I could hear Fenrir call my name but I couldn’t care less I needed to get out of here and I picked up my pace. I just continued walking even though my surroundings were hard to see blurred by my tears. I had nearly reached the first trees of the forest when I heard movement behind me. I did not care who it was. I was determined to go on and to get away. But I was stopped when someone grabbed my arm. I tried to pull out of their grip but it was too strong and I couldn’t pull free. But on the other hand I was too embarrassed of my tears to turn so I just stood there with my back towards him.

“Can you please let go of my arm?” I said in a shaky voice. Trying to control my emotions.

“I will if you turn around and look at me.” Loki’s voice said thick with emotion.

I tried to fight his grip again. Not wanting to give him the satisfaction of seeing me cry. But he was very strong. In the end I had no choice but to turn and look at him. When I finally looked up I saw that the coldness had left his face. I could see the unease of the situation clearly over all his features. We stood there just looking at each other. I was about to ask him again if he would release his grip on my arm when suddenly he pulled me towards him and closed his arms around me hugging me. I tried to fight him but there was no use I would never win against his strength.

His voice sounding suddenly as he whispered into my ear. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry but there are things in my past you have no knowledge over. I should not have reacted the way I did. I’m really and truly sorry could you please find it in your heart to at least listen while I explain?”

I was still angry and part of me wanted to just say no and leave. But this feeling of vulnerability was pouring from Loki and I just knew this was very hard for him. I relaxed a bit in his embrace and after a few moments I just nodded against his chest. I could feel his grip relax and he let go of his hold on me. He took my hand and without words we walked back towards Fenrir who was now lying in front of the huge tree looking at us. Loki motioned for me to sit as he sat down near Fenrir’s head. I sat down next to Fenrir near his front leg. I was nervous and when I got nervous I needed something to occupy my hands. So, I just decided to pet Fenrir. My hands finding his soft fur behind his neck between his shoulders. This earning me a soft purr from him and he moved his body slightly so I could comfortably lean against him while petting him.

We sat there neither one of us saying anything. But after a while Loki began talking.

“When I was a lot younger my father took my brother and I on a tour of the realms. This was done so that the people could meet us princes and we princes could get experience in diplomacy and the culture of other realms. During this period I met a woman named Angrboda. After only a short time I thought I was in love with her and I was willing to spend the rest of my life with her. There was a huge struggle between myself and my family who tried to convince me that she was not as she appeared. But I was very much in love and did not want to hear them. I thought their problem was with the fact that she was not Æsir and it was their prejudice against her race that blinded them. Later I found out the hard way that she'd tricked me into falling in love with her. She never cared for me. She wanted leverage over Odin and used me to further her own plans to bring him down. When I eventually found out I was heartbroken and angry. I wanted to confront her and ask why she would do that but it was then I found that she was pregnant. I had not intended to become a father amidst all the troubles and had taken every precaution to prevent fathering children. Later we found that she used dark magic to circumvent my precautions. As a result, the dark magic complicated things even beyond her control. The children were not normal and the birth was even more dangerous. Resulting in her losing her life during childbirth. She gave me three children. I named them Hela, Fenrir and Jormungandr. Hela looked the most like a Æsir but has the power to remove one’s soul and take it with her. She looks part Æsir but the left half of her body is that of a skeleton. We shielded her with magic so she could look whole but still Her skeleton side is where her power resides If she touches you with her left hand and she wants to she can remove your soul. We tried to bind her power at first but failed and left her very angry.”

This was the moment Loki’s voice failed him and I could see tears form in Loki’s eyes and he was fighting to keep them back. Fenrir gave his hands a soft lick as encouragement and he just blinked a few times and continued.

“She was very dangerous and people were afraid to be even in the same room. At last Odin gave her a realm to rule so she would not be a problem for Asgard. She is the goddess of the land of the dead or Hel as some people call it. She helps the spirits of the recently departed to cross into the realm of Helheim. Jormungand is my other son and he des not look Æsir. The best way to describe him would be that he is a sea serpent and while Hela and Fenrir were granted a voice he was not and I could never reach him. He was too much like a wild animal and we granted him a life in the large oceans of Asgard. Seeing as he never connected with any Æsir I have not seen him since. Fenrir is the gentlest of the three as you can see for yourself. He is a full Æsir in his mind but stuck in the body of a wolf. Not long after their births a prophecy was told by the Norns. It foretold Fenrir to have a part in the end of Odin’s life and would bring forth the end of times called Ragnarok. As a result of this prophecy Fenrir has been banned from the royal palace and must spend his time here in the forest. Odin wanted his death but I persuaded him to give him this forest to spend his days. The forest is warded and Fenrir cannot leave it. So, he would never be a threat to Odin. When I’m away from the palace Father even goes so far as magically binding Fenrir to the tree so he cannot leave the clearing. Even with all the wards I have put in place he still uses the leash or Gleipnir as it’s called to bind him to the tree. It’s what you saw Sif do the night you first came to Asgard.”

With this Loki fell silent looking out into the distance waiting for my reply.

I could feel the tension radiating of him. But I took a bit of time to let his story sink in.

“So with me being able to hear Fenrir you thought I had something to do with Angrboda?” I asked in a soft voice.

Loki nodded. “If not directly with Angrboda I thought you might have something to do with her people. The sort of people who want Fenrir to kill Odin and start Ragnarok and…..” but he did not finish his sentence.

“And you wanted to protect your family.” I added to finish his sentence. I could see Loki nod in agreement. With this I could feel the last of my anger leave my body. While his actions just now had been hurtful I could still understand why he'd reacted the way he had. After all we'd only known each other for a short time, and now I could understand his need to protect his family.

“Then I understand what just happened and I’m sorry for what Angrboda put you through.” This made Loki look up and I could see him opening his mouth to talk but I decided to continue. “I know it probably doesn’t mean a lot but like I said I’m sorry for what you’ve been through. But I hope I can show you that I’m just Aurora and I don’t know why I’m able to hear Fenrir. But I swear to you that I don’t mean any harm to you, your family or anyone in the whole of Asgard.”

I could see a weak smile form on his lips. “I believe you Aurora and I’m sorry for doubting you. You know I can tell if people are lying and I can plainly see you are not. But Angrboda could trick me and it’s been a weak spot for me ever since. I trusted and loved her and she tricked me. She tricked the trickster and it’s something I still fear to this day. I hope I have not irreparably damaged our friendship.”

I responded by grabbing his hand and squeezing it a bit. “What kind of friend would I be if I would pullout of a friendship at the first sign of trouble?”

This earning me an even fuller smile.

 _“Father if I may.”_ Fenrir asked and I could see Loki smile at him giving him a small nod.

_“I have been thinking about the first night I saw Aurora. I do believe that she was not able to hear me that night. As I can remember swearing in pain quite a lot but I did not get any response from her. She only responded to me when I would give her physical signs for instance nodding my head.”_

“Is that true?” Loki asked me.

“Yes, this is the first time I've heard him talk. It was because of his body language I knew I could approach him. I can remember pulling out the piece of wood and then trying to hold his wound closed. But then I must have blacked out.” I took a while to think back again and suddenly I remembered that there had been a voice during all the darkness.

“But I do remember a voice after blacking out. I remember hearing Fenrir yelp and howl with pain but there was also a voice.” And I looked at Loki. “Was that you? I know you found me but then you must have arrived just while I was passing out.”

I could see Loki thinking. “No I arrived the next day. Sif informed me later in the day that Fenrir had been hurt and it was almost night when I arrived in the clearing. By that time his wounds had mostly healed and he was not in pain anymore. I was very surprised to find him cradling your body to keep you warm. You were unconscious and I could not find out what was wrong with you. The only thing I did find were a few bruises and minor scrapes but you had a lot of blood on your clothes. I assumed that was Fenrir’s.”

I gave Loki a questioning look. “Well that’s not right. I had a large cut on my hand and a head wound on the back of my head that was bleeding. Also after stumbling in the woods all night I was full of cuts and scrapes. You’ve seen my clothes they were full of holes and blood. I had sliced open my hand at some point when I fell. So yes, while there must have been some of Fenrir’s blood on me most of it was my own.”

This time Fenrir also added his thought’s “ _It’s true father. She was hurt when she first approached me. But after she blacked out her wounds closed and healed themselves. But I don’t see why this is a problem? This is normal is it not?”_

I could see Loki think deeply so I decided to answer Fenrir. “It’s normal for Æsir to heal fast Fenrir. But I’m not Æsir. I’m a human from Midgard so I would not have healed as fast. It would have taken me weeks for my wounds to fully heal.”

I saw Fenrir look at me with curious eyes and he sniffed me.  _“But you smell like an Æsir. I remember thinking to myself that night that you smelled different from anything I ever smelled. But when I smelled you now you smell normal.”_

This made Loki look at Fenrir and then back at me. “When you removed the piece of wood from Fenrir’s chest you said the wound started bleeding again.”

“Yes that’s correct.” I had told him this a few times already but I knew he was just thinking out loud this time.

“And you also said that you tried to use your hands to keep the wound closed.”

This time I just nodded.

“And you blacked out after your hands touched his wounds.”

I nodded again not knowing where he was going with this.

I could see the little wheels of Loki’s mind work behind his eyes. Suddenly it looked like he'd thought of something as I saw his eyes grow wide as he looked at me.

“I think I have a theory but I will need to get you back to Lady Eir to see if I’m right. You blacked out after you touched his wound with your left hand. The one you had cut badly. I think you blacked out because his blood entered your body through the wound in your hand. It could also be the reason why your wounds healed at a rapid pace. If I’m right it might explain why you were unresponsive for 2 years. If what I think happened did happen, you are lucky to even be alive.” He said and I could see him look at me with amazement clearly written on his face. “But I think I need to get you to Lady Eir to see if my suspicions are correct.” He added

I still did not know what Loki meant by all this but we agreed we would visit Lady Eir first as she could tell us more. He did not want to tell me what he suspected had happened without her input.

 


	6. Chapter 6

It was near dinner time when Loki smuggled me back into the castle and into Lady Eir’s office. I was still invisible when Loki pulled Lady Eir into her office and spoke to her in private for a moment. They came out only a few minutes later and immediately she cleared out her staff and had a servant send word to Frigga. Only when Loki was sure there were no people around he lifted the spell and I was once more visible. Lady Eir escorted me to a large table in the middle of the room and with Loki’s help I laid down on it. Lady Eir made some adjustments and suddenly there was this 3d holographic image of my body visible above me. But before I could ask Loki anything the door opened and I could hear someone enter.

“Loki what happened?  Is she hurt?” Frigga’s worried voice sounded through the room. After a few moments I could see her next to the table worry clearly written on her face.

“She’s fine mother but I have a theory about why she was asleep for 2 years and Lady Eir is helping me to test it. That’s why she’s currently in the soul forge.”  He explained and I could see some relief wash over her face.

I could see Lady Eir tinkering with the 3d image. After a few adjustments, the 3d hologram above me changed. The outline of my body was still visible but now there was this bluish green almost teal glow emanating and pulsing through the image of my body and I could see Lady Eir’s shocked face.

“You were right my prince.” She said to Loki shock still clear on her face. “I don’t know how this is possible. When you brought her in two years ago we also scanned her with the soul forge and this was certainly not present at the time.”

I could see Loki shake his head. “But how is this possible? Direct contact with the magic in Fenrir’s blood should have killed her. The dark magic contained in him is deadly to a mortal if it indeed entered her body it should have been lethal.”

“Can someone explain what I am seeing?” Frigga asked as she looked between Lady Eir and Loki.

Loki took a deep breath and turned to his mother. “Today I took Aurora to see Fenrir. I know you asked her to stay in her room but I made sure she was not seen and I thought it would help her relax a bit. When we arrived, it seemed that she could hear Fenrir.”

I could see this shocked Frigga and lady Eir but they stayed silent so he could continue.

“The three of us discussed what happened the night she and Fenrir met and it seems that Aurora was wounded. She had multiple cuts and bruises and more importantly a large cut on her hand. This was the same hand she used to try and stop Fenrir’s bleeding. From what he and she told me as soon as she pressed her injured hand against his wound Aurora passed out.”

Frigga turned her gaze now to me. “So you think when their blood mixed the magic inside Fenrir’s blood might have altered her?”

It was hard for me to lay there and listen to them talk about me like I was not there. Lady Eir was still shifting things around on the soul forge but this whole situation made me very uneasy. After a few moments Lady Eir was done and told me I could sit up which I did.

“So can you please tell me what is wrong?” I asked Lady Eir. “What is that glow and why can I hear Fenrir? Also why were my wounds healed by the time Loki got me back here to the castle? Fenrir told us that he saw them heal and close.”

“First off I can see nothing wrong with you.” Lady Eir started. “There is no sign that Fenrir’s blood damaged you in any way. But there are clear indications that between when I scanned you two years ago and now you have changed. From what I can tell your body is somewhat of a hybrid between a Human and an Æsir. Your nerve system is more like that of an Æsir. But while your body has changed it is not as strong as a full Æsir would be. But still a vast improvement to that of a human.”

It took me a moment to process this as I just sat there looking at her. Finally, I managed to get something out. “And the teal glow?”

Now it was Loki who answered. “That was your seidr.”

“My what?” I gasped as I now looked at him. I was glad I was still sitting on the table for the speed I had used to turn my head towards Loki had made me quite dizzy.

“This cannot be.” Frigga joined in. “Even if she would have been full Æsir it would still be too much seidr to have in one’s body.”

“My queen the prince is correct.” Lady Eir interjected. “I know it should not be possible but that is what the Soul forge showed us. The glow we saw in her body was her seidr. To be honest we don’t know what sort of affect this high a concentration of seidr might still have on her body.”

Loki reached out towards me and I took his hand as he held me steady while I climbed off the soul forge. There was a great deal of stress and heightened emotions in the room and the whole thing was making me feel dizzy again. I could feel Loki’s arm curl around my waist to hold me up.

“Aurora are you alright?” He softly said with a worried look on his face.

I took a few moments to catch my breath and I tried to push the emotions back to the background. I could feel my head clear a bit. Suddenly something clicked in my brain. The emotions I was feeling were not just my own and thinking back over the past few hours there had been a couple similar events. Times where I just knew Loki was vulnerable or Frigga was telling the truth. I looked at Loki and I could see him scanning my face waiting for my answer. I could clearly feel Loki’s worry, Frigga’s amazement and worry and Lady Eir was more fascinated then worried.

“I think I’m fine. But I think there is something else.  Does having a large amount of seidr have any other side effects?” I asked and I could see his eyebrows furrow as he continued to hold me up. “Because I hope this doesn’t sound crazy but I think I got dizzy because I was overwhelmed by everyone’s emotions around me. Their running a bit high right now.” I tried to add as a small joke because I was feeling very self-conscious with them all staring at me. Loki just stared at me as I carefully looked at all their faces to see if they believed me. It was Frigga who responded first.

“My dear am I correct in understanding that you mean you can sense the emotions of other people?”

I gave Loki’s arm a gentle squeeze letting him know I was alright to stand on my own again and he almost reluctantly let me go.

I looked at Frigga’s concerned face and answered her. “I think so but to be honest with everything going on right now I’m still wondering if I’m not dreaming all of this. Its just something I realized. Like yesterday I don’t know how. But it was almost like I could feel you both were telling the truth even when the things you said were surreal. And right now, I can tell that while you and Loki are very worried. Lady Eir is fascinated and not worried.” I looked at Lady Eir and she nodded.

“Yes this is true. I have scanned you and there is no danger to you at this point. So, there is no reason for me to worry.” She said with a soft smile. “But I find your whole case very interesting as I’m sure you can understand.”

I smiled and nodded. “Just now when I got dizzy I felt overwhelmed with the emotions and when I tried to focus on what emotion was coming from where it helped. I could push against the emotions a bit. This made the dizziness stop.” I was thinking out loud now as thoughts rolled through my head. Also, I could feel Loki’s emotions much stronger when he was helping me stand and had his arm around me.” I looked at him and gave him an apologetic smile. “But now that we're not touching his emotions are about the same level as what I seem to feel from the rest of you.” This whole thing was stressing me out. It was all one big surreal mess and while I could articulate how it felt I still was having a hard time believing it was indeed happening.

I could see Frigga think about what I said and after a few moments she placed a hand on my shoulder with a small smile. "Aurora I believe you and know that you are not the first one to have this ability. Though it’s very uncommon there have been others with empathic gifts. But I do worry for you. This is not just a gift but also a great burden for one as young as yourself. If you ever need advice or just someone to listen to you if things become too much. I hope you know you can come to me.”

I could feel the warmth and sincerity radiate from her. This causing a big lump to form in my throat. Before I registered what happened I felt Frigga drawing me in and giving me a motherly hug.

As I rested my head against her I could not help but softly whisper. “Thank you Frigga for everything.”

She released me and I had to do my best to stifle a yawn. This seemed to make her smile.

“Loki while I know you had the best intention in taking her out today I am still a bit mad at you.”  She said as we both turned to face him.

I could see he had not expected this turn of events.

“As you can clearly see Aurora is dead tired and still recovering.” She said with a stern voice.

I had to hide a smile because now Loki clearly looked like a little boy getting a scolding from his mother. Before he had a chance to respond Frigga’s face gave way to a small smile of her own.

“Please would you be so kind as to make sure Aurora is escorted back to her room? Unseen I might add. She must be hungry and tired. I must speak to your father about these latest developments.” she said as she turned towards me. “I will visit you in the morning my dear to check on you.”

I nodded as she was right. I was feeling very tired and hungry. Loki off course did what his mother had asked of him and not an hour later I was back in my bed. My stomach full with a nice dinner and I had no problem with going to sleep whatsoever.

The next morning, I woke when Yara opened my curtains.

“Good morning my princess.” She said with a smile. “The queen and the prince asked if they could join you for breakfast.”

“Thank you Yara and a good morning to you too. You can let them know that I would be honored to share breakfast with them.”

With this our morning ritual began. I showered and Yara helped me dress and did my hair and makeup. Just as I'd finished getting ready and Yara was setting the table for breakfast Loki and Frigga entered my room.

“Good morning.” I said with a happy smile and motioned them to their seats at the table Yara was setting. Loki sat next to me and Frigga sat opposite of us.

There was a tense atmosphere in the room and I could feel it emanate from them.

“Ok, what’s wrong? You know I can feel that there is something wrong, right?”

This earned me at least a smile from Frigga but I could see Loki was still very tense.

“My dear, there is nothing wrong but I spoke to the Allfather last night about the new developments. I wanted to slightly alter our official story about your arrival in Asgard but it seemed it had a different effect.”

“Oh...?” was all I could get out.

“You see my dear Loki told me that you know how Fenrir came to be and that you know that he’s prophesized to end the Allfather’s life. So, when I told him about your ability to hear Fenrir he made an argument about how you might be an accomplice in the prophecy and a danger to Asgard.”  She admitted with a sad look on her face.

I had a hard time swallowing the piece of fruit I had been eating and quickly took a sip from my goblet. I could feel a darkness emanate from Loki as his mother said this. My eyes found his and the moment they met I wondered how he could look so calm and feel this intense at the same time. I gently moved my hand under the table to take his and I gave it a soft squeeze. I did not want Frigga to know he was this…. I guess it would best be described as angry. But I did not want him to feel this way either. After a few moments I could feel his anger lessen.

“So what does this mean for me?” I asked as I looked at Frigga. “I hope you both know I mean no harm to Asgard or the Allfather. To be honest I can even understand his line of thinking. This all has been very weird and even I don’t know what to make of it all.” I let out a sigh. Suddenly not very hungry anymore.

“The Allfather has requested a private meeting with you after breakfast.” Loki said with a soft voice. “He wants to meet you himself and this meeting will determine your future in Asgard.”

Suddenly I felt afraid and it must have shown on my face for now Loki was holding my hand. Rubbing it with his thumb.

“My dear, my husband can seem very hard and cold when you speak to him. But the only true advice I can give you is to tell you to be polite and honest. No matter what will come of this Loki and I will help you but we need you to at least talk to the king so he can form his own opinion of you as we have.”

I thought it over for a moment. But in all fairness, I knew this had been coming. I was very scared but still I was in a foreign kingdom at the mercy of its king. But I had known at some point I would have to meet him. It’s just that the anxiety Frigga and Loki both were feeling didn’t make things easier.  I could feel the honesty in Frigga’s words when she said she would help me no matter what happened. And to be honest I just wanted this to be over. I had been half scared these last few days and I just wanted some peace of mind about my situation.

“When does the king wish to meet me?” I asked while I straightened my shoulders and gently lifted my hand from Loki’s.

I could see a small smile form on Frigga’s lips.

“He’s ready for you now if you are. Loki can transport you to his chamber.” She said with a reassuring smile.

“Ok.” I took a deep breath and stood from up. Anything I need to know when I meet him? I know how to address him but anything else?”

Frigga gave me a small reassuring hug. “When you meet him just bow your head and wait for him to start talking. Be polite and answer honestly and all should be fine.”

I nodded to Frigga and took a deep breath when Loki walked over towards me as I stood. He placed his arms around my waist and he looked at me as if to ask if I was ready. I just nodded and closed my eyes. The familiar feeling of falling from a great height came and I could not help but grab Loki tighter. When my feet touched the ground again I opened my eyes. I was in a regal looking room and next to a window there was a Figure with grey hair looking out. Loki released me from his grip and walked over to the person.

“Father I have brought Aurora like you requested.” He said very emotionless.

This made the grey-haired man turn and look over at me. I slowly bowed my head as Frigga had told me and placed my hands behind my back and waited. My mind racing at high speed taking in what I had seen in those few seconds. He was an older man and there was a golden patch over one eye. His whole expression was that of a king. Very royal and demanding. While he was in formal clothing I had a sense that this was personal space and he was comfortable here. I tried to see if I could feel anything more but the only feelings I was getting were from Loki and aside from the darkness waving off him there was only nervousness.

“Thank you my son. Now you may leave.” The man said. His voice was very deep and I could almost feel the age behind it.

When Loki walked past me he gently brushed his hand over the top of my arm and reassuringly squeezed it as he walked past. A few seconds later I could hear a door open and close. Leaving me standing alone in the presence of the Allfather bowing my head and waiting. After what seemed like an eternity his deep voice filled the room.

“My wife tells me your name is Aurora and you are from Midgard.

“Yes my king.” I said as I lifted my head to look at him.

He was now sitting on a chair next to a fireplace looking at me. Scanning my face with his one eye.

“She and my son seem to have taken quite a liking to you.” He continued.

I could not help but smile a bit at this statement. “I’m very lucky my king. They have been great friends and I would have been lost without them.”

After a moment he motioned towards a chair in front of him.

“Please take a seat.”

I walked over and took the seat. Waiting for him to continue.

“Do you know why you are here?” He asked me suddenly with an edge to his voice which made me uneasy. I could feel my fear come back to the surface. Not sure of my voice I nodded to the king.

“I asked you a question girl.” He barked at me making my jump in my seat. “I expect an answer from you. Tell me why you think you are here.”

“I’m sorry my king.” I stammered and I gripped the chair to get my nerves under control. But I could not help a waterfall of words coming out of my mouth. “I’m here because Frigga informed you about me having Seidr. We found out yesterday that I could hear Fenrir and that led to Lady Eir examining me and finding out that I have a high concentration of it. Loki’s theory is that I somehow was changed when my blood was mixed with Fenrir’s blood and magic. Causing me to now be something of a mix between an Æsir and a human. Seeing as Fenrir was created with dark magic and there is a prophecy about him ending your life you now see me as a threat. Because Frigga is a lovely person she probably made you have this talk with me first instead of kicking me out of the castle in a heartbeat.”

I could swear there was a small chuckle from him but I might as well have imagined it. But I managed to look him in the eye as he continued to examine me.

“And are you a threat?” he asked as he shifted in his seat so he was now hunched over. Elbows resting on his knees and his focus totally on me. His stare never leaving my eyes.

He had a way to make me very uncomfortable. But I tried my best to keep eye contact with him. “No I’m not.” I said softly. I could see him raise a brow so I elaborated my answer. Feeling my anxiety rise once more.

“This whole situation has been one big nightmare. I don’t know who I am as I have no memories prior to waking in the forest. Now I don’t even know what I am since apparently I’m not even human anymore. To make things worse I’m not even on my own planet. I’m totally at the mercy of others. I cannot go home if I wanted to because apparently I travelled in time.” I knew I was getting louder and louder and I tried to take a breath to calm down a bit. I felt my bottom lip tremble and I gnawed on it to keep my emotions from spiraling out of control. “To be honest I’m scared and I don’t have any intentions to harm anyone. Let alone anyone related to Frigga and Loki. They have been my only friends these last few days and I would never hurt them intentionally.” The last bit came out angrier than I would have wanted. But it was this or start to cry again and I was sick of crying in front of people.

I could feel the king’s gaze still on my face but this time I just stared into space trying to get my emotions back under control. When I did look up I saw he was now deep in thought. He was sitting back in his chair contemplating while looking at me. So, I decided to let him. He was the king and he could do what he wanted. There was nothing more for me to say so I just sat back in my chair and made myself comfortable while he made up his mind. We sat like that for a long time. My gaze wandering around the room and looking in the fire. But when I looked at him his eyes were still watching me. But there was a calm in this silence so I started to relax and I just waited.

Suddenly he spoke again. His voice now less harsh and nearly friendly. “I can see why my wife likes you little one. You speak your mind when questioned and do so with passion. But there is also a calmness over you. An ability to let people be who they are without any pressure. Therefore, I will release you in her care. But I will hold you to your words. If I find you a threat to my realm or my family I will take measures to stop you.” And I felt his resolve behind these words.

Even now when he was calmer and nicer to me I could see he still was a very intimidating person. I knew he would make good on his words if necessary.

“I would expect nothing less my king.” I said and meant my words. He was king of Asgard and his realm and family mean everything to him.

He nodded at my words and I could feel warmth emanate from him. “You will keep your title as princess of Midgard. But the story must change. We will tell the people you have come to our realm to study seidr and in honor of your father the king we have allowed this. As it seems you are on first name basis with my wife and youngest son you already have won their trust. I will stick to the story that your father is an honored friend of the throne. To show the Asgardian court my high regard towards you and your father I will grant you the privilege of calling me Odin.”

This came as a total shock and I think my face must have given away my feelings again as Odin started to chuckle.

“It’s refreshing to see a person whose feelings are so clear to read on their face.” Odin said. “But I must ask you to be careful. The royal court of Asgard can be a dangerous place for people close to the throne. While you will be under our protection it would be wise to keep your face neutral when not in trusted company.”

I nodded. “Thank you for this advice and for everything you have done for me. I will do my best to live up to the honor you have given me. I hope in the future I can show you that your trust in me is justified and I hope you will do me the honor of calling me by my first name.”

Odin smiled. “I think you will fit in quite well here Aurora. I truly hope that you will live up to your words. It’s not just for my wife that I have agreed to have this talk. I know my youngest son and to see you both befriend each other in this short of a time is quite unusual for Loki. If possible I would not want to remove a friend from his acquaintance unless I must. Now if you do not mind I will ask my son to join us. He has been pacing the floor behind that door for the last hour. And I do not think he can take much more waiting.”

This time I laughed as I could almost see Loki’s worried face while pacing outside Odin’s room. With a flick of his wrist the door opened and I could see Loki almost burst in. He looked at me and Odin sitting near the fireplace and regained his composure.

“My son can you please teleport Aurora back to her chamber? Frigga and I will have some deliberating to do before her formal introduction tomorrow.”

I could see Loki’s brows go up in surprise. And I stood up from my chair to walk over to Loki. Before I reached him I turned to Odin and bowed. “Odin I want to thank you again for all you have done for me. I will do my very best to be worthy of your trust.” And when I looked up I could see a genuine smile on his face.

“You are welcome Aurora. Now go with my son so I can prepare for tomorrow.”

I smiled at him and I could feel Loki place his arms around me and with a bow to his father we transported back to my room.

Back in my room I felt all of the stress fall from my shoulders as I stepped out of Loki's embrace.

"That was the most intimidating thing I've ever done.” I confided in Loki as I let myself fall into one of the chairs. "Your father might just be the most nerve wracking and scariest person I've met in my whole life." With that statement, I let out a big breath.

This earned me a chuckle from Loki and he took the other chair. "I cannot believe he allowed you to keep your claim as princess. Do not get me started on the fact that you called him Odin." He moved his hand through his hair as I could see nerves leave his tense shoulders. "I was certain that with this new information he would have banished you back to earth even if you would end up in the past. You would be all alone and unprotected."

I could hear the remaining stress in his voice.

This made me smile. "I'm glad you didn’t tell me this before. I was nervous enough as it was. But now it's over I'm glad. Although I don't know if my new cover story is going to give me more or less trouble at court."

I could see Loki looking very curious so I decided to let him in on what Odin had said.

"The new cover story is that instead of running from danger. I've  now come to Asgard to study magic. As my father is such a great friend to the crown Odin has graciously accepted me and permitted the use of his first name."

I thought Loki's eyes would pop out of his skull as I finished my explanation.

"Loki? What the hell is the significance about this story that I'm missing?" I could feel a headache coming on. I was so tired of the ways of the Asgardian court and my inexperience of navigating its currents. I think my dismay showed because he quickly sat upright and took my hand.

"Do not fret Aurora. It's not a bad thing. But with this story Odin is letting everyone know that you are part Æsir. As it's impossible for humans to have any quantity of seidr. Let alone enough to study it. What this means is that the whole court will know that your mother is Æsir. Making your life here in Asgard that much easier. As there have been a lot of half-blood Æsir before you who have held important titles and ranks so it's not uncommon or even unwelcome at court."

This whole thing took me by surprise and I blinked a few times to get my head in order.

"So why would my so-called mother have been Æsir and not my father?" I couldn’t help but ask.

Loki smiled at my question. "If your father would have been Æsir then you would not be a princess. For there are no Æsir royalty on earth. While Æsir do fall in love and have children with mortals they do not marry them. Because of the difference in age between our people. So, people will automatically assume that your mortal father must be a great and noble warrior. Because he bedded an Æsir woman. Also by having you as his daughter it tells them the Æsir female loved him very much and granted him claim of their child as his own to be raised by him. As there have been situations like this before in the history of earth's kings and queens. Resulting in very well-known and strong bloodlines that lived for centuries.”

While I could see all the extra layers this small change in story created I could not help but feel nervous again with the whole situation. I did not like to pretend being a princess. While this whole seidr thing was new it at least was true. But I had absolutely no experience in the inner workings of a court. How the hell would I convince people I was a princess born and raised? But I knew Loki was kind enough to help me through it and now with Frigga and Odin on my side I hoped things would turn out alright.

The rest of my day was spent with Loki and Frigga. Yara in the meantime would make a whole show in pretending to move all my clothes and items into a new room specially selected for me. It seemed to be customary for a princess to send her belongings ahead of her. Frigga told me now that I was part Æsir and a princess I would be given a new room. The biggest surprise was when Frigga asked me if she could see my jewelry again which I of course did not mind.

So, I retrieved the jewelry from my bedroom and placed it in front of her on the table.

“It’s custom on Asgard to wear jewelry on formal occasions.” She explained “Your arrival tomorrow and the banquette following will be one such occasion. But as you can imagine while they are made of white gold the style of your jewelry is somewhat different then Asgardian expectations. Even in Midgard the style of jewelry differs much from your own. I would ask your permission to change the look of your jewelry so they will look as royal as you will tomorrow.”

I did not have a sentimental bond with the items so I did not mind. “If you think that would help my situation then I have no objection. I know I need to look the part of a princess so I will not let you and Odin down. Do what you believe is right.”

This earned me a smile from her. But before she could move Loki put a hand over his mother’s arm.

“Mother would you allow me to do this? I think I can imagine what you would want for her and I even think I can add a little surprise.” As he said this I could see his eyes twinkle.

Earning him an even bigger smile from Frigga as she motioned her hand towards the jewelry with a nod.

I was very intrigued to watch Loki. His long fingers picking up my necklace and earrings. And laying them out on the table. I could feel the air shimmer as his hands glided over them while I could see a deep concentration wash over him. It almost looked like there was this very subtle green glow emanating from his hands and before me the items changed.

Instead of a single necklace and set of earrings there was now a vast array of beautiful looking jewelry. There was an amazing Victorian style necklace with several layers of white gold chains and on them large tear drop gemstones. It had matching earrings and a bracelet. There also was a set of larger solid bracelets and I recognized them as the type I saw on Frigga’s arm the other day. They were like cuffs you placed on your upper arms. Next to them where two delicate comb like items that looked like they would be used in my hair. But the what took my breath away was a very pretty and delicate looking tiara. It was not very elaborate but I loved the way it looked. It looked like leaves braided into each other and the small sparkly flowers where made from gems. All the jewelry was adorned with amazing looking gemstones in a deep blue green color.

Loki took one of the bracelets and placed it in my hand. “Aurora could you do me a favor and concentrate on the bracelet for a moment. While you are concentrating could you try and focus on a color other than what the stone currently is?”

I looked at the bracelet and decided to do what Loki wanted. I took a deep breath and concentrated on the bracelet. In my head, I pictured a deep purple and concentrated on the stones. To my amazement before my eyes I saw the stone change color and become the deep purple I had imagined. I could even hear Frigga let out a small noise as I saw that the stones of all the items on the table had changed to the same purple. This made Loki chuckle.

“Did you just read my mind and change the color?” I asked Loki as I looked up at him.

He smiled and shook his head. “No, you just changed the color of the stones. My magic made it possible for you to change them by thinking of a color. But your magic made them change.” And he added with clear amusement on his face. “I just did not consider the strength of your seidr. You did not only change the bracelet you had contact with you also changed the color of the whole set without needing to touch them. So, in the future if you want items to have separate colors concentrate a bit less. Other than that, you can change them to your liking so they can fit any outfit.”

I could see Frigga take the necklace from the table and run her fingers over it and grin.

“It seems that my son has good taste as these items are all beautiful. While I like to think his taste came from his mother. This is not exactly what I had had in mind Loki.” She said as she looked sternly but still smiling at her son.

I could not help but again notice Loki’s very mischievous smile and feelings. There must have been confusion written on my face because Frigga continued to explain.

“While my intention was to give you a similar set it would have been a mere illusion cast on your items.”  She explained. “But it seems my son deemed it necessary to create the actual jewelry. This set is not an illusion it’s real.”

Loki shrugged. “This way is safer for there will be no chance the illusion might be counteracted. She is being given all the curtsies of a real princess so I thought I would give her one more.”

Frigga just smiled as she shook her head.

I did not know what to say to Loki as the gravity of the gift sank in. I could feel a blush form on my face. My debt to him and Frigga just seemed to rise and rise.

“My dear I will leave you now for today.” Frigga said as she rose from her seat. “Tomorrow at midday Loki will come and teleport you to the bifrost. There it will look like you just arrived on Asgard with Loki as your chaperone. My other son will also be there to escort you to the palace where you will be introduced. After that you can settle into your new room and Loki will pick you up to escort you to the banquet in your honor.”

I gave Frigga a hug before she left the room and thanked her again for all her help. As I turned back I still was feeling uncomfortable with Loki.

“Aurora is something wrong?” he asked. “You have been very silent since I created the jewelry for you. You have not even asked me a question about the magic.” He added as a little joke.

It was true but I decided that especially with the god of lies I should just be honest.

“I’m sorry Loki, but I’m bit uncomfortable.” I said as I sat down again. “Don’t get me wrong they're amazing and beautiful beyond belief. I just feel like I’m even deeper in your debt now. I already didn’t know how to repay you and your mother for your kindness. All I can do is thank you for making them. For there is nothing I can ever do to repay you for them. Other then assure you that I will wear them with pride.”

Loki walked over towards me and took my hand as he kneeled. “I am glad you like them but please do not be uncomfortable. You do not need to feel indebted to me as we are friends and I know that if the situations were reversed you would have helped me just the same. Also, I will not take the risk of an illusion failing and your place here at the palace to be compromised. I did this both for you and for my family.”

I felt a warm feeling in my chest and felt truly lucky to have Loki as my friend.

“Thank you my friend.” I said as I gave him a big smile which he returned. We talked and joked for a while till Loki had to leave. I decided to have a calm evening having dinner in my room and turned in early.

 


	7. Chapter 7

The next morning, I awoke to the sound of Yara's chipper voice.

"Good morning Princess Aurora we have to get you ready for your big day." She said brightly.

I looked over towards the beautiful view and to my surprise I saw that sun was already high in the sky. I was a bit confused as usually Yara would wake me much earlier than this and she must have seen my expression.

"The queen asked me to let you sleep in a bit. Seeing as it's a big day and you have till 12 before you need to be ready. Because there is a feast tonight and you are still easy to tire she thought it best." She explained.

I was very glad Frigga had given me some extra time because I had been nervous all night and had woken a couple of times. But after bathing combined with the extra hours rest I felt very refreshed.

I walked over to the vanity in my room when I saw Yara approach with a dress that took my breath away. Every time she brought me a new dress I thought no other dress could be more beautiful. But every time they seemed to be able to top the beauty of the previous one.  

This dress was made of layers of flowing soft fabric. The bodice was made of a deep teal and looked like a dress fit for a queen. The edges of the fabric where laced with a silver glitter and where the bodice flowed over into the skirt the turquoise opened to reveal layers of white underneath it. The dress had long flowy sleeves that nearly reached the floor. The sleeves having the same teal color but they opened from the elbow to show a tighter white sleeve of the same color that peeked through the skirt. After putting on the dress I saw Yara put on an extra accessory to the dress. It was an amazing looking Y shaped silver belt that fit my hips perfectly and the delicate metal chain hanging from the belt complimented the silver trim of the dress perfectly.

At Yara's request I sat down at the vanity so she could do my hair and makeup. My hair looked amazing in contrast with the teal. I saw a beautiful wooden box sitting on the vanity and I lifted the lid to see its contents. Inside on beautiful fitted dark blue velvet was the jewelry Loki had made for me. The gems still deep purple.

"Yara, what kind of gem color would be best with this dress?" I asked I wanted to know what she thought. I didn’t know the rules in Asgard. Should the colors compliment the dress or should they contrast the dress. I was just so glad to have someone I could ask these questions.

"Ideally.” She said as I saw her think. “They would be a mix between clear diamonds and a stone with the same deep teal as the dress.”

I placed my hands over the set and envisioned an alternating pattern in the color's she had said and closed my eyes to concentrate. When I opened my eyes, I saw the gems change color and they were the colors I'd envisioned. The smaller gems in the flowers of the tiara and the necklace were now clear like diamonds and the larger ones the same teal as my dress making them stand out even more. While the clear diamond ones just added a sparkle.

Yara looked shocked to see the gems change color and I could see her hand move towards the jewelry to touch them to see if they were real. Just before she reached them she pulled her hand back violently and blushed.

"Yara I don't mind if you touch them. I will need your help getting these on and I also need you to tell me when and which pieces I should wear."

I could see Yara look at me and give me a small smile. "Thank you Princess Aurora it would be my honor to help and advise you.” She said as she carefully lifted the tiara out of the box and placed it on my head and started to weave strands of hair around it to keep it in place.

"Are they real?" She asked while working with hair. I knew she meant the jewelry and the stones.

"Yes Yara they are real and very precious to me. I got them from a wonderful friend. I can change the color of the stones to my preference so if ever they need to be another color just let me know." I said.

I could see another question lurking behind her eyes but I knew she wouldn’t ask. I could feel she had a very inquisitive nature but that the moral code of a servant kept her back. My heart went out for her. I too was very inquisitive and eager to ask things but the station Frigga gave me also gave me the right to ask the questions I wanted. It was a bit depressing to feel how she had to reign in her curious mind just because of her station. It was totally unfair. But again, I knew it was not something I could change. Making me even more grateful of what Frigga and Loki had done for me. They could just as easily have made me a servant. Or worse have left me to die. I shook my head a bit to get the gloomy thoughts out of my mind and I focused back on Yara who was gently working her magic with my hair. I just decided to practice my story to see how she would react.

"Yara, I think you know I'm not a normal princess. While I must navigate my way around this court I would hope you would help me. I've lived my whole life on Midgard and have only recently discovered that I have seidr. When my father found out he thought it wise for me to learn to control it. My father and King Odin have been good friends and when my father informed him of my magic abilities he allowed me to study them here in Asgard."

I could see that what I said made sense to her.

"So while I'm very familiar with the Midgardian customs and palace intrigues.  I'm very unfamiliar with Asgardian customs and palace intrigues. For I never thought that I'd have need of them. I never thought I would be granted the honor of visiting Asgard someday. That's why I came a few days earlier so I could talk with the royal family so I could get acquainted with this place and its customs. It also gave queen Frigga a chance to supply me with Asgardian clothing for my Midgard clothing would not have sufficed. But I must ask you for your help if you are willing."

I turned in my chair so I was facing her and took her hands in mine. I could see her eyes grow wide at this gesture of friendship. But she did not pull her hands back and I took this as a good sign.

"Yara please can you be my guide and confidant in this place. I might ask you questions that seem very dumb or even strange. But I would hope you will always give me an honest answer or tell me if I’m breaking some Asgardian moral code or rule.  Also, if you have a question you wish to ask of me please ask them. I will not get mad at you for asking and I will answer you if I'm able. If I'm unwilling or unable to answer your questions I will just say so. But I will not be angry or offended with you for asking. I need someone who will be honest with me and who will question me if they think its needed. Not someone who will blindly do the things I say when they know what I ask is wrong or stupid. The only thing I do ask is that you keep our discussions private. I want to be able to trust you and know that whatever we talk about or happens in the privacy of my rooms won’t be vented throughout the palace. Is this something you think you would be willing to do for me?"

She looked at me with her hands still in mine. I could feel the emotions run through her. First there was shock and surprise. But after a moment she calmed and I could feel a friendly warmth emanate from her.

She squeezed my hands carefully and spoke. "Princess Aurora it would be an honor to assist and help you."

I could not help but smile at her. I stood up and gave her a hug.  While she hesitated at first she returned it. "Thank you Yara." I whispered in her ear.

"Your welcome Princess Aurora. But now we must continue with your jewelry because the prince will be here shortly." She said with a short giggle.

I think this was her testing the waters a bit as I could feel her nerves flair up a bit as those words and the giggle left her mouth. But I liked it and I just smiled and immediately did as she asked. She placed the earrings in my ears and the necklace around my neck. She took the outer sleeve of the dress and pulled on a little hidden cord on the inside so the sleeve would rest a bit higher on my arms. Then she placed both the bracelets on each arm.

"Both bracelets? “I asked. Because it felt like a bit much.

"Yes my Princess.” She said with clear determination. “Today is a day to impress the court so it needs to be a bit over the top. This will be the best time to impress the nobles at court with a grand appearance and we must make the most of it. For it’s the only first impression you can make.”

I decided to let her do her thing. As a finishing touch, she took one of the comb hairpins and pinned it in the back of my hair to keep the flowing curls in place she pulled back and weaved around the sides of the tiara. I loved the way she did my hair. How she managed to tame the curls. I loved how she only pulled it back out of my face a little and then made it look like it was flowing freely over my shoulders.  With a few tiny adjustments from her and a spray of my chosen fragrance I was ready to look in the full-length mirror.

I was struck with how I looked. I looked like royalty for the first time. I admit it was over the top but not in a bad way. I felt a little confidence run through me that I sorely needed.  As I examined myself I heard a small knock on my bedroom door and I could see Yara's head snap up. She went to my door and opened it and as soon as she saw who was on the other side she dropped in a low curtsy. I knew instantly that it must be Loki. He would have had to magically transport to my room to go unnoticed. Hence the knock on the bedroom door and not the main door.

"It's alright Yara." I said as I walked over and placed a hand over her shoulder. "He's here to escort me to the bifrost. Is there anything else I need or am I ready?"

"Your ready Princess Aurora" She simply said and smiled. With another curtsy to Loki she left the room.

I stepped into the living area and when I saw Loki I had to do my best to keep my mouth from falling open. While I had seen his normal clothing, I was not prepared to see him in his full prince outfit. His was over the top as well in his usual colors black and green but there was much more to it. There were golden chains and plates all over the leather. While I continued to look him over my sight was drawn to his head. On it was a helmet with giant antlers. I tried to hold my laughter. I really did but I could not help myself and laughed. I could see Loki start to grin too.

"So, from the way you are looking I take it the outfit is agreeable to you but the helm is not?" he asked with the grin still on his face.

It took me a few tries to straighten my face again. I really did not want to hurt his feelings. "Loki I'm sorry but the helm.... it's not something I'm used too I think." I tried to give him my sweetest smile.

"It's fine Aurora, like all things in Asgard it's more ceremonial then functional. It’s meant to intimidate more than for it to be pretty." With that he removed the helmet from his head.

"Well I guess it does look intimidating.” I admitted. “It’s just that I know the man wearing it and therefore it's function is lost I think."

This earned me smile from him. He walked over and took my hand and held it while he looked at me. He lifted my arm and motioned me to spin around which I did with a loud giggle.

"What are you doing?" I asked as I was facing him again.

"You look very royal and beautiful today Aurora. I just wanted to see the whole outfit before I must drag you off to the bifrost.” I could see his smile fall a bit. "After today you are not my secret anymore. You can go and do whatever you want so I was just having a moment. You know me I like mischief. So, this sneaking around and having you as a secret was something I quite enjoyed. Also, it would be very beneficial that you learn to control your seidr. So, there will be even more limits on your time and with whom you spend it as your teacher will probably insist on teaching you daily."

This had never crossed my mind before. Sure, I knew the study of seidr would be something I had to do now. But I had not thought about how intensive I would have to study. Suddenly there was an idea forming in my head. I had this mischievous idea and could not help but try to see if Loki would go for it.

"Loki, who is going to teach me in the ways of seidr?" I asked as I tried to read his emotions.

I could see a curious look in his eyes when he answered me. "I do not know but I am sure my mother will probably assign one of my former teachers to you. I have no use for them anymore as I have outlearned them all."

This made me smile and I continued trying my best to act innocently. "Don't you think with my level of Seidr and how I got it that it’s better to be very careful? We don't know what the combination with Fenrir might entail and as you told me my level is quite high."

I could see a frown form over his face as he thought about this. "You think that your seidr might be dangerous?" He asked.

Inwardly I smiled as this had been the direction I wanted the conversation to go. "Well it's just that I don't know and I'd rather be safe than sorry. If I do have to learn to control this. Wouldn’t it be better to learn this from the person with the most training and a high level of seidr of their own? If things do go wrong at least the person who is best suited to handle these kind of things is there to protect the palace?"

I tried to look as innocent as possible. I could see my words run through his mind and after a few moments that well-known sparkle was back in his eyes and I saw a small smile cross his lips.

"I think I would agree with your reasoning.” He said calmly but I could feel his mischief. “It would be for the best if the person teaching you is also powerful just in case things go wrong." He reasoned.

"Do you think that this powerful person would want to teach me?" I asked as I mirrored his mischievous smile.

"I think he could be persuaded. I shall talk to my mother about this but I do not think she will object. The safety of Asgard might depend on it or so I am told." He grinned.

That was the moment where I broke. As It was too hard for me to keep my laughter at bay. As soon as I broke character and laughed he broke too. Laughing loudly with me.

"Aurora I think my parents do not know what they have gotten themselves into with you." He managed to get out between laughing. "You had me fooled in the beginning thinking you were actually scared or worried." He snickered. "But I do agree not only would we get to spent time together. With the unknown origins of your magic and the fact that you are not from Asgard. I think the safest thing would be for me to teach you in the ways of seidr. I must talk it over with my mother like I said but I don't think it will be a problem. It will also prevent anyone from finding out how much seidr you have or how you got here. For its hard to keep secrets within the palace."

Loki led me over to the balcony and pointed to the golden dome at the end of the rainbow bridge. I could see a large group of people march across the bridge making their way towards the golden dome at the end.

"Lord Heimdall will start the bifrost in a few moments pretending to transport you to Asgard." He explained.

I could see the dome at the end starting to move and I felt Loki place his arms around my waist. He was standing behind me and pressed me against his chest.

"When it stops moving I will teleport us to the bifrost and it will appear that you have just arrived." He softly said in my ear causing goosebumps to appear on my skin.

With a motion of his hand the helmet was back on his head and as soon as the dome stopped moving we teleported. As I opened my eyes I was standing in a golden dome and Loki carefully removed his arms around my waist and took a few steps and took a more formal stance.

"Lord Heimdall I want to introduce you to Princess Aurora Wiliamsdóttir. Princess let me introduce you to Lord Heimdall."

Lord Heimdall gave me a bow and I responded with a nod of my head.

"Very nice to meet you in person Princess." He said with a very deep voice.

I could not help but feel a deeper meaning in his words. He was a very impressive man. Dark skinned with golden armor and a huge sword. But his eyes were something else. They looked like a golden supernova and I got the feeling he could see right through this whole charade.

"Thank you my Lord. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

I could feel Loki move a bit closer and I heard a soft whisper in my ear.

"Lord Heimdall is able to see all that happens across the nine realms. Besides Frigga, Odin and Lady  Eir he has been informed about you. But it's best not to talk about this now as I see my brother approaching with your escort. My brother has been kept in the dark about your situation. My mother thought it to be at your discretion if you wanted to tell him or not." With this he stepped away.

"Princess if you would allow me." He said as he held up his hand up.

I placed my hand over his and took a deep breath. Focus Aurora I told myself. Channel your inner princess and let’s get this show on the road. Loki led me out of the golden dome and there we were met by a large group of people. There were lines of what looked like soldiers or guards and in front of them there was a large imposing man.

He was wearing an over the top outfit like Loki but his was silver and blue with a large red cape. He had long blond hair and a blond beard. He also had blue eyes and a big hammer hanging from his belt.

"Brother." Loki said and walked the both of us towards the blond man. "May I introduce to you Princess Aurora Wiliamsdóttir? With that he presented my hand to his brother.

The Blond man was clearly checking me out as he took my hand and with a small bow kissed my fingers. I thought I could hear Loki let out a small grunt.

"It's an honor to meet you Princess Aurora Wiliamsdóttir." The man said with a loud but pleasant voice. "I am Thor Odinson, prince of Asgard but I hope you will do me the honor of calling me Thor." I could see a seductive smile creep over his face.

I could feel Loki’s annoyance and I heard him softly say. "Really brother? She's not been here one minute."  

This made Thor and me chuckle softly as we both clearly had heard him. I had to do my best not to outright laugh at the interaction between the brothers. I could feel that this seemed to be normal interaction for them both.

"Thank you Thor for this honor. I hope I can persuade you to call me Aurora in return?" I said with a smile.

"I would be honored Aurora." He said and he moved my hand that he was still holding and pulled me gently next to him. So, my hand was in his like it had been in Loki's before.

"Would you do me the honor of escorting you into the palace so I can introduce you to the king and queen of Asgard?" He asked.

I could feel we were back to the formal bit. It felt quite rehearsed like Thor and Loki had done this sort of thing a lot. I just nodded my head and the formation of guards split as Thor lead me down the rainbow bridge. After a few moments Loki took his place next to me and the three of us walked down the bridge followed by the marching guards.

The view from the bridge and the bridge itself was absolutely beautiful. I focused on the surroundings as we silently walked towards the castle. It was a relatively short walk and before I knew it I was in front of a set of very large doors.

"This is the entrance to the throne room." Thor explained. "Prince Loki and myself will escort you in and present you to the king and queen. My father will speak a few words and then you can take your place next to myself and Prince Loki. After the introduction is done someone will come and show you to your rooms so you may retire."

I nodded in understanding not wanting to take up a lot of time when I knew there were people waiting on my arrival on the other side of the door. I took a moment to center myself and I felt Loki place his hand on the small of my back for a moment in reassurance. I smiled at him and then the doors opened.

The throne room was very large and grand and golden. Huge columns holding up the ceiling. At the end of the room I saw two sets of stairs. First a few black ones and on top of that gold ones leading to an ornate looking throne. Between us and the stairs between the columns there were rows and rows of Asgardian nobles. All eyes fixed on me and the princes as I walked hand in hand with Thor. Loki flanking my other side.

I decided not to look at the nobles more than I had to. I lifted my chin and focused my gaze on Odin sitting on the large throne in the back. I tried not to focus on the emotions in the room. But I could feel that the most powerful emotion in the room was that of boredom. There must have been a general mention of who would be introduced. Clearly the daughter of a Midgardian king was something they had to attend. But it was clear that most found this ceremony very boring.

When we were nearly halfway through the hall I could see Frigga. She was standing on the rise just on the highest point of the first set of steps. As we reached the bottom of those steps Thor and Loki bowed their heads and I followed their lead. After a few seconds Loki moved towards his mother and Thor's voice boomed trough the large room.

"Allfather, please allow me to present to you Princess Aurora Wiliamsdóttir from Midgard."

I could hear a soft murmur spread through the crowd of nobles behind me. With a small nod Thor released my hand and joined Loki who was standing a step below his mother on the side of the stairs.

When he was in place Odin's voice filled the room as he came down the golden steps of his throne.

"The king of Asgard greets Princess Aurora Wiliamsdóttir and welcomes her to this realm. A Wiliamsdóttir will always be welcome in Asgard." He made a motion with his arm that I was to Join Frigga, Thor and Loki on the steps. I gave him another bow and made my way over to them.

I wanted to stand on a step below Loki and Thor but I saw Frigga hold out her arms in greeting. I rose to her step and took her hands. She kissed me on my cheek and wove her arm around mine and turned me so I could face the crowd.

I could see a smile on Loki's lips and a confused look on Thor's and I understood that this must have been a very intimate gesture on Frigga's part. But there was no time to think further as Odin spoke again.

"Princess Aurora Wiliamsdóttir is the beloved daughter of King William of Midgard. Now that she has come of age her father who is a true friend of the throne of Asgard has requested for her to come to Asgard to be taught in the ways of Seidr."

There was a surge of soft voices and mumbles that swept through the crowd and I could feel an air of intrigue and suspicion weave through the people. I gasped a bit and focused on Frigga's arm as I tried to push the emotions to the back of my mind.

"Seeing as her Father is a loyal and true friend I have gladly accepted his daughter into my court. She will remain here for as long as she wishes and is under the full protection of Asgard."

With this Odin began to turn and walk back to his throne.

Frigga softly squeezed my arm and gestured for me to follow her. She led me out of the throne room and again I felt a huge wave of emotions wash over me from the crowd. When we cleared the room the emotions of suspicion, intrigue and god knows what slowly lessened a bit.

"I'm glad that's over." I confided in Frigga who was still walking arm in arm with me. "It's very weird to feel the emotions of a gathering that big and I was afraid they would overwhelm me."

Frigga nodded. "I told you before that your gift however wonderful can be quite a burden. Especially in a large crowd. But do not forget my dear that it's none the less a gift. It will help you navigate this court a great deal better now that you are in tune with its nobles’ intentions."

"That I can imagine." I agreed as we walked. "When I first entered the room I could feel a sense of boredom and disinterest from the room. But when Odin mentioned my seidr it felt like the room exploded with emotions and it was very weird and intimidating. But I'm sorry I don't want to bother you with this."

Frigga stopped walking and stood in front of me so she could look me in the eyes. "Aurora I like you. You are in a strange land with no memory and you have been a breath of fresh air. Your honesty and spirit is something that is hard to find here in Asgard. After seeing you in the healing wards for nearly two years I must admit I have kind of grown attached to you. I have a strong need to protect you and I have told myself that should you awake I would do so. So please tell me when you are bothered. Tell me if things trouble you. I meant it when I asked you to be on all first name basis with me and I hope we can be good friends." With this she hugged me again.

I could feel the honesty behind her words and the warmth of her embrace and I hugged her back.

"Thank you Frigga." With a small voice, I added. "I don't remember my own mother but I can only hope she's something like you."

When we pulled back both Frigga and I had tears in our eyes. We smiled at each other for a moment but before we could say anything more there were footsteps behind us and Frigga looked over my shoulder.

"Mother there you are." Loki's familiar voice filled the hall as he walked towards us. As soon as he was close the tears must have registered because he rushed to our sides. "Is anything wrong?" Worry clear in his voice.

I wiped my eyes and laughed. "There is nothing wrong Loki. Your mother is a wonderful woman and we just got a bit emotional. But I promise you all is fine."

Frigga nodded to her son and she took my arm back in her arm.

"Will you accompany us to Aurora's room?" She asked Loki. "There must have been a reason for you to want to talk to me?"

Loki nodded and we started walking again.

"Aurora and I had a talk this morning mother. Have you thought about who will instruct her with her seidr? Because we had concerns over how she got her seidr, the level of her seidr and the possible effects. All these things a tutor should know of when he teaches her and I do not think there is any of our teachers who I would trust enough with this information.” He paused a moment for effect. “Therefore, I wanted to ask you if it was possible for me to teach her. Seeing as I am the most capable of the seidr users in the castle if things might go awry. Also, I already know her background."

Frigga thought for a moment and looked between me and Loki. "I had not thought about her instructor yet. But your arguments make sense and it would mean we do not have to tell her story to someone outside our family.” She looked deep in thought but began to nod her head. “I think it would be wise seeing as you know all there is to know about her. But I must urge you both. If there is a problem or if you have worries that this partnership is not working, please let me know. As I just told Aurora I have her best interests at heart.”

This elicited a big smile from Loki. "You have my word mother. If the need presents itself, you will be the first to hear of it."

After that we walked in silence. I was taken to a part of the palace I had never been before. We entered a heavily guarded wing and found a very luxurious hallway with several doors.

Frigga Lead me to one of the doors on the right side of the hall. “This wing is reserved for royalty that is why the door is heavily guarded.” She explained. “There are several different parts of this wing but we mostly use this hall. The rooms to your left are Thor’s and Loki’s and if you walk the rest of the hallway until the end you will find mine and Odin’s rooms. The other halls we just walked past are only used for visiting royalty. But other than you we have none now. Seeing as you are now an Æsir princess only the finest will do and since we had one room to spare in our hallway I wanted you near to us." She said as she opened the door to my right and let me into my room.

I thought my previous room had been enormous but this took my breath away. The sitting room was even larger and more ornate then the previous. There was a dining table with chairs, a fireplace with comfortable looking chairs in front of them. A desk in the corner and in the other corner near the balcony there was a sitting area with a very comfortable looking sofa. Also, the size of the room was almost double of what my other room had been including the bed and bathroom.

Frigga pointed towards the doors in the room. "There is a small bathroom your guests can use. The second door leads to a separate chamber you can use however you want. The last door is your bedchamber and this has an adjoining bathroom. The balcony overlooks the castle. We are on the top floor so there is no one overlooking us. There are stairs down from the balcony into a private garden specially designed for the royal family. Feel free to join us whenever you want."

The whole thing was nearly too much and I felt Frigga's arms around me pulling me in for a hug. “We will leave you now so you can change your dress. Loki will come back in awhile to escort you to the hall so you can mingle a bit before dinner. Just call for your maid and she will help you dress. Tomorrow we will discuss selecting a handmaiden who will help you dress and keep you company when needed.”

This took me a bit by surprise. “Is there a difference between Yara’s function as maid and the function of handmaiden?”

It was Loki who answered my question. “Yes, a maid will clean your room and bring your food. A handmaiden to a female princess is more of a companion. She will help you dress and dine with you if you want. Think of her more as a friend. She can walk with you around the castle or in the gardens and such. She will make sure that your life runs smoothly and her dedication is to your wellbeing. Normally this function is for a close friend. If you truly had been a Midgardian princess it would probably have been a good friend of yours. A high born noble daughter who would have accompanied you on your travels and served you as a handmaiden.”

I thought a moment at his words. I did not like to think I would have to select someone I did not know to perform such a role in my life. Yara was very nice to me and I finally started to break the tension between us that my princess title seemed to bring. She was getting more comfortable in my presence each time she helped me.

I looked at Frigga. “Is it possible for Yara to take that role? I really like her and she has been wonderful these last few days.”

Frigga thought a bit. “It’s not normal for a girl her age to advance her station this much. She is very young and not nearly as high born as a handmaiden to a princess should be. But if you are sure we could give her the opportunity. I will advise a trial period though. You have very little experience with servants and your preferences might change. If you want, we will give her the opportunity to fill the function until you find someone more suitable. If you don’t find someone like that you can always keep her on.”

I nodded my head with a smile. “Thank you Frigga. That would be great.”

“You can inform Yara of your decision if you want. I cannot imagine she would refuse such a rise in station. I will make the preparations needed for her transition as handmaiden.” With this Frigga turned with a smile on her face and left the room.

I looked up to see Loki standing near the fireplace just looking at me with a smile on his face.

“What?” I asked returning his smile.

Loki shook his head still smiling. “It’s just funny to see how you seem to take the life of people around you and make them better.”

I was puzzled as to what he meant by that and I think it showed.

“Aurora it’s just that here at court people mostly act because of self-interest and making things better for themselves. You have been an official princess for less than a day and you already try to make things better for the people around you. I have seen people choose their handmaidens based solely on nobility level. They would try to get the highest ranking daughters to serve them. Not because they liked them but because of the prestige it would bring them. You just chose a girl whose level of nobility only just allows her to work at the palace. I do not think she would have ever reached the level of handmaiden on her own.”

I could feel the warmth radiating from him and I knew he meant his words. But he was making it sound like I was being charitable and almost saint like.

“I think I’m a bit more selfish than that Loki.” I looked him in his eyes. “I like Yara and I’d rather have someone I like around me then a stranger of higher birth or station. So yes, the thought of making Yara’s life better is a pleasant one. But I only did it because I like her company, its quite selfish really.” I grinned.

Loki just shook his head and took my hand. “The fact that you would rather have a friend next to you then someone of higher birth or importance is all the difference. Please do not change Aurora always put your friends before a title. It’s very rare and I hope you do not lose it.” He bowed to kiss my hand. This making me blush but before I could say anything Loki just gave me a small wink.

“I will leave you now. When you are ready just let Yara know to send me a message and I will come back so we can finally move beyond your room.” He said dramatically and with a smile he left my room.

 “Yara could you come and help me change?” I called into the empty room feeling very stupid as I did so. Magic still would be something I would need to get used to. But there was no way I was getting out of this dress on my own. After hardly any time at all she entered my room as if it were the most normal thing in the world. I could get used to the benefits of magic.

She quickly helped me change my dress. The second dress being very similar to the dress I had been wearing but now instead of it being teal it was a deep purple. I quickly changed my jewelry to match it.

“Is this all I can do for you Princess Aurora?” Yara asked while giving me a curtsy.

“Yara there is something I want to ask you. I was informed by the queen that I must choose a handmaiden. She told me this handmaiden would take over and help me with the things you have been doing for the last few days.”

She just nodded her head but I could feel her getting nervous. “Yes Princess Aurora.” She said and fidgeted with her skirt. “I’m aware that for the last few days I have been overstepping my place as a maid. But I must say I enjoyed serving you. I will look forward to meet your new handmaiden and take my orders from her.” After a few second she hesitantly added. “But it will be a shame that I will no longer have the pleasure of talking with you directly. As I will be taking orders from your handmaiden and my place would be to do as she says and not bother you at all.”

There was a blush forming on her face and I could feel that she meant her words but only said them because I had told her she could speak freely. Most of all I was happy that she was honest about her feelings. I took Yara’s hand and motioned her to sit on the chair next to the fire place. As I took the one in front of her.

“Yara, I asked the queen if you could be my handmaiden. Is that something you would be willing to do for me?”

Her eyes grew wide and her mouth opened as if to say something but the words never came.

“I like you and you know I value your input and thoughts. But I will not make you do anything you are not comfortable with. The queen has no problems with you being my handmaiden. But she did add that it would be on a form of trial basis. So, we could get to know each other better.”

Yara was still staring and I just held her hands and watched as I felt her emotions. Finally, I felt her calm down from her shock. I could feel a warmth coming from her and it was hard to give it a name. It might be friendship or gratitude or a mix. But it was a pleasant emotion none the less.

“Princess Aurora I would be honored to be your handmaiden. I will do my best to serve you and advise you to the best of my abilities.” She said with a blinding smile on her face.

“Thank you Yara.” I said as I returned her smile. “The queen said she will make all the arrangements necessary for you. I don’t know what that might entail but if there is anything just let me know. Are there things you need from me before I leave?”

She thought about it for a moment. “Do you wish to interview replacement maids? I could select a few so you can interview them.” But she quickly added “If you want I could select a maid for you.”

I could see a hesitant look in her eyes. I could tell the last bit was her taking a liberty by suggesting she could do a task that normally I would have to do. This making me smile even more.

“Yes Yara if you please. Can you pick the maid? I don’t know how to choose one and from what I hear you will be the one mostly communicating with her. So please choose someone you like. But please make sure it’s someone we can trust. I really would like my things kept private.” I added.

Yara gave me a small nod and I felt like I had made the best decision appointing her my handmaiden.

“If that is all Yara can you please send a message to Prince Loki that I’m ready?”

“It would be my pleasure my Princess.” She said as she got up from her chair and with a small curtsy she left the room.

It took a few minutes before there was a knock on my door. But when I opened it there was Loki with a mischievous smile plastered on his face.

“Are you ready to explore the castle?” he asked as he lifted his hand in gesture.

“Just show me the way.” I replied as I took his hand.


	8. Chapter 8

The next few hours were spent exploring indeed. The whole castle was huge. First he showed me all the main parts like the throne room, ballroom, dining room, the gardens and the stables. They were all glorious and wondrous and while the castle was vast I was learning I had a very good sense of direction. Then he showed me secret walkways and hidden passages most commonly used by the servants to get in and out of sections of the castle unseen. But some were very handy as it would seriously take you much faster from one part of the palace to another. He then took me to visit the training yard where a lot of warriors were sparring. I looked out as the warriors engaged each other, I was very glad they did not hurt each other. Our last stop was when he halted in front of two huge doors.

“And this Aurora is my favorite place in the whole castle. When I am not otherwise engaged, or sparring this is where you will find me.” With that he opened the doors with a flick of his hand.

Before me there was a huge room with stacks and stacks of books lined all the way up towards the immensely high ceiling. When I took a few steps into the room I noticed just how vast the room truly was. It was almost as big as the throne room and filled with what must have been millions of books.

At the side of the room there were large windows that allowed light to filter into the room. At the far side of the room there was a set of stairs leading up.

I heard Loki grinning behind me say, “You know Aurora I think I have never seen you speechless before. Do you like the library?”

I turned around with a big smile on my face. “It’s amazing!” I could not help a childish giggle escape my lips as I nearly ran towards the first racks with books. The books themselves were beautiful. Every one bound in different colors of leather and embossed with silver or gold lettering. I tried to read the titles on the books but they were in a language I did not recognize. I tried to see if I could decipher anything about the strange marks but then the strangest thing happened. When my fingers  brushed the lettering on the cover of the book the letters became blurry. I instantly pulled back my hand. The letters were crisp. Unreadable but clear to see. But when I touched the spine of the book again the letters became blurry. It almost looked like the letters seemed to shift, forming words I could recognize. I lifted the book and looked at it. The title was in a different language but when I traced the letters with my finger the words blurred and shifted and this time they became clear. I could even read the title it was a book called “Asgardian fables”. Before I knew what happened the words shifted back and I felt suddenly very dizzy. My hands trembled and I dropped the book. I tried to step back but my legs did not cooperate and gave way. I could feel Loki’s arms around me and his chest against my back before I could fall.

I could hear the slight panic in his voice. “Aurora what’s wrong?”

I tried to clear my head but it was no use. “Dizzy.” Was all the reply I could give him. I tried my best to push back the feeling but it was overwhelming. If not for Loki’s arms I would surely be all over the floor by now.

I saw Loki look up to scan the room and after a few moments he turned me around and placed my arms around his neck.

“I got you.” He said softly and with that he bowed a bit and placed one hand behind my back and one behind my knees and gently lifted me in his arms. He quickly crossed the room and went up the stairs. I closed my eyes because the movement combined with the dizziness was a bit too much. Making the whole library blur and my stomach turn. With my eyes closed I could see a change in the lighting. I could feel him laying me down on a soft surface and after a few moments I felt something cool pressed against my forehead. I heard him walk around the room and things rattling but I was still too dizzy to open my eyes. Trying my best to will my stomach to calm down. Then I felt his hand on mine.

“Aurora can you please open your eyes. I have something I want you to drink.”

I opened one eye and the whole room was in a blur and in front of me there were two Loki’s. Loki placed a hand behind my neck and I managed to sit up a bit. I could feel Loki place a cup against my lips and I took a sip. Inside there was something cool and sweet. I swallowed a small amount but Loki motioned me to drink it all and I did. As I drank I could slowly feel my head clear and the world stop spinning.

“I don’t know what you gave me but it’s helping.” I said after a moment and I gave Loki a weak smile. “There’s only one of you now and the room is nearly done spinning.” I blinked a few times the room was once more stationery.

Loki removed the cup and let go of my neck. I lifted my legs from the comfortable sofa I was on so I could take a sitting position.

“What happened?” Loki asked with worry clearly written on his face as he took a seat next to me.

“I don’t really know.” I answered honestly. “I was trying to read the book titles and the letters just became blurry. I took one of the books and I tried to focus on the title. It was in a language I did not know but suddenly the letters got blurry again and then I could read the title. It was like the letters changed and I could read them. But then I got very dizzy.”

“You could read the title?” He asked calmly but I could feel his disbelief.

I looked at him and there was a look of wonder on his face.

“Yes when I moved my fingers over the letters they changed. The book I dropped. The title was Asgardian fables.” I saw his eyes go wide.

“What did I do now?” I sighed as I rested my head against the sofa.

I looked up expecting a worried look on Loki’s face but instead he was smiling.

“Aurora I think you just used your seidr. The book that you dropped was written in runes. As you could not read the runes I think you subconsciously used your seidr to translate.”

I scanned his face but there was no mischief in it and I felt he was not joking.

“And that made me dizzy?”

“Yes I think so. I could feel something when you picked up the book. I could feel power filling the library. But a form I had not felt before and before I could react it was gone again. My guess is it was yours and because you had no idea what you were doing you used a lot of your seidr to translate the words. Using a large amount of seidr in a very short timespan can leave you very dizzy.”

I let out a small laugh. “Huh, I always thought you needed spells to work magic.”

Loki took my hand and I looked at him. Now I did see worry on his face.

“That is the whole point. For anyone to use their seidr they need to use spells. While a spell is usually no more than an instruction of what kind of gesture and how much seidr you need it’s still a spell. Even people with a lot of power like myself need them. I do not have to say them out loud but still I need to know them before I can cast them. I need to think a certain way and sometimes make a hand gesture to make the spell work.” He released my hand and walked over to the window in the small room we were in. He looked out and after a few moments started talking again. “For you to even use your seidr this way is rare. The only beings that can use their seidr for what they want without using spells are the Norns.”

I was waiting to see if he would clarify what he said but again he must have been lost in thought.

“Loki who are the Norns?” I asked

He let out a big sigh. “They are the rulers of destiny and we Æsir see them as gods. Just like mortals believe the Æsir to be gods. Because we are superior to a mortal. We Æsir believe the Norns are the most superior godlike beings.”

“And only they have to power to use their seidr without the use of spells?” I asked.

Loki nodded his head as he walked back over and sat next to me.

“We know you are a mix between mortal and Æsir. We know you have a higher concentration of seidr then we have ever seen. But do not worry Aurora. We will begin your training tomorrow and we will see what comes of it. I just ask you to try and prevent yourself from actively trying to use magic without me being present. Can you promise me this? When you suspect you are using magic stop what you are doing and try to clear your mind. Will you do this for me?” He asked as he looked into my eyes.

I could feel the weight behind his words and I could feel his worry.

“I promise. When I suspect I’m using magic and you are not with me I will try to clear my head and stop.” I said instantly. I did not want to do any magic without Loki there. I had just experienced what could happen when using seidr. No way would I do that without Loki to help me.

Loki let out a small sigh as he scanned my face to see the truth of my words. But I meant it and I could see he knew this. Looking away from his intense gaze my eyes scanned the room for the first time. We were in a large room with books everywhere. There were large bookcases against the wall and stacks of books everywhere. The comfortable sofa we sat on was in the corner of the room. On the opposite side was a large bay window with a window seat and curtains. Then on another side of the room was a fireplace with comfortable chairs, in the center of the room was a large desk with scrolls and books scattered across them. One corner of the room next to the fire place was filled with bottles and little drawers like a little apothecary shop. The only thing I could not find was a door.

I looked at Loki and I could see he was watching me while I was looking over the room.

“So where are we?” I asked.

“This is my private library.” He replied like it was nothing.

“Your private library?” I asked again but before he could answer I had to laugh. “Sorry I keep forgetting you’re a prince.”

This earning me a laugh from him. “I think that might just be one of the reasons we are friends.”

I could not help but smile at that. “But where are the doors? How did we get in?”

Loki took my hand and pulled me off the sofa and towards one of the bookcases against the wall. He made a small motion with his hands over the books and I could see two tiles change. The one now read Library and the other read chambers.

He placed his hand over the book that read library and the bookcase softly opened to reveal the passageway back to the library. I walked through it and found myself on a landing overlooking the library. When I turned, I saw Loki behind me and the bookcase passageway closed. Upon inspecting the now closed bookcase I saw a book titled Loki. I pulled that book and again the passageway opened and I could see Loki on the other side smiling at me. I quickly stepped back into the room. Without a sound the passageway closed again.

“So are you the only one who is able to enter that room?” I asked as I watched a smile form on his lips.

“Only the people who can see the title of the books that control the door can enter the room. The books are warded. If I do not want you in the room you cannot see the books. This room is my sanctuary. It’s heavily warded against almost everything as I use it to practice my magic in. No one can enter it without my permission. Currently no one but myself can enter as I usually want peace and quiet when I am here.”

“So when you just waved your hand and suddenly I could read the titles of the books…” I did not complete my sentence in the hope he would.

“Yes.”  He nodded. “I just gave you permission to enter my personal library. As you can see one of the entrances is here when you press the book named Loki. When inside there are two books. If you press the library, you will exit in the library as you just witnessed. If you press the book named chambers you will exit in my personal chambers. That way I always have quick access from the two places I most frequently visit.”

I tried to shove that last bit of information to the back of my brain. I mentioned to myself that I would not think of the fact that he just inadvertently granted my access to his personal chambers or I would surely die of blushing.

“Thank you for giving me access your sanctuary Loki.” I said with a bit of a smile. I had this strange feeling this was something he did not allow a lot of people.

He just smiled at me and gave me a small bow. “Now if you do not mind Aurora. I think it’s time for us to make our way towards the ballroom. It’s nearly time for the feast and I think it would be good for us to arrive early.”

I smiled and pulled the book named library. I loved the way the passage opened and closed. Loki decided to see if I could navigate the palace halls. We talked and joked and to my surprise I was able to find the dining room. Although it was more a dining hall as it could seat hundreds of guests.

The whole room was now festively decorated and there were large tables along the sides of the rooms for the nobles. At the head of the room was a large table reserved for the royal family and close friends. I could see Odin and Frigga already at the table and Loki escorted me towards them. After being introduced to the nobles on Frigga's side of the table Loki and I sat on Odin's side. There were a few seats empty and I looked at Loki who seemed to understand my question before I asked it.

"The spare seats are for Thor, Lady Sif and the warriors three." He said as he saw my curious glance.

But before I could reply Thor's loud voice thundered through the dining room.

"Princess Aurora what a pleasure to see you again." And with a big grin he took the chair next to me. Making it so I now sat in-between Loki and Thor. "I was very pleased when hearing my father’s announcement that you will be staying with us whilst studying seidr. If you would do me the honor, I would like to introduce you to my friends." He motioned towards the group of people who also took their seat at the table.

Thor was very grand in his gestures but I got the feeling that his question had been rhetorical so I just nodded with a smile. Thor felt like a very friendly man but I could also feel he would just do as he pleased.

"Before you are Lady Sif, Lord Volstag, Lord Hogun and Lord Fandral. The last also known as the warriors three."

I saw them all look at me and when our eyes met they bowed their heads. I waited a moment for Thor to continue but he seemed too occupied in filling his plate as the food had just arrived on the table. So, I took the introduction into my own hands.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all. I'm Princess Aurora and I hope I will see much of you during my stay at the palace."

While the warriors three had sincere smiles on their faces I could see Lady Sif smile politely. The smile not reaching her eyes. But I decided to ignore that fact for now.

The one named Lord Fandral quickly replied. "My Princess it would be my honor to show you around the palace and help you settle in. There are a lot of beautiful and secluded places I could show you. If you would like a tour I am your man."

He had a really big seductive smile on his face as he continued looking me straight in my eyes. There was a slight wiggle of his eyebrows and I could not help but feel a wave of confidence and boyish charm coming from Lord Fandral. From the corner of my eyes I could see Lady Sif role her eyes. To my surprise I could hear a small groan escape from Loki and I could feel him getting slightly annoyed. I had a sudden urge wash over me to tease Lord Fandral. He was so sure of himself I could not help it.

"That's a most generous offer Lord Fandral." I said with a sweet smile on my face. "But alas I think Loki has bested you and already showed me most of the castle. As for beautiful and secluded places, I think I prefer the library most of all.”

I saw several looks of disbelief from Lady Sif, the warriors three and even Thor at my words. But Lord Fandral continued none the less.

“I see Loki pulled out all the stops if he has shown you the library.” He said this with a little sneer in his voice. “But I can assure you princess that the palace has far more to offer then a collection of dusty books.” And he gave me a little wink.

I could feel Loki shift in his seat next to me.

“Well Lord Fandral it seems that Loki knows better what I seem to find beautiful and secluded places. But it could be that I’m a bit bias and that it’s actually the company of a friend I enjoy.”

I could see Thor Look at Loki with an obvious look of disbelief on his face. As the rest of the warriors three and Lady Sif had a hard time concealing their laughs. Lord Fandral looked absolutely shocked as if he never had any trouble convincing a woman of his worth. I even suspected that the fact that I seemed to favor Loki over him was even worse for him.

He opened his mouth as if to say something but nothing came out. Causing the rest of the table to erupt in laughter.

“Princess Aurora I’m in awe.” Lady Sif managed to get out in-between laughs. “It’s my absolute pleasure to see someone render Fandral speechless. I must say it’s a sight I find most becoming on him.”

I could not help but notice that she was genuine this time when smiling at me.

“Please Lady Sif, Call me Aurora if you please.” I said as I smiled back at her.

She looked at me and with a small nod and smile she replied. “It would be an honor Aurora, please call me Sif in return.”

This time Lord Fandral seemed to have found his words again. But I could feel honesty radiate from him when he spoke. “Princess Aurora as I know I speak for all the warriors three I would ask you if you would honor us by using our first names.”

I saw Hogun and Volstag nod as they looked at me expectantly.

“Fandral, Hogun and Volstag it would be my honor. Please call me Aurora.” And I could not help but smile. It was good to at least have a few friends in this new place.

They started retelling past stories of heroic deeds and more so of the problems they had during these deeds. It was good seeing them all smile and tease each other. But while they all added to the stories I wondered why Loki seemed a bit left out from the group. While their tales were filled with what they called glorious combat the only references made towards Loki were when he had to use his magic to save them. Also they ate a massive amount of food. After two plates of food I sat back in my chair and enjoyed the merriment around me.

I could see Loki look at me every so often. “And what are you looking at?” I asked him in a whisper after I caught his gaze once more.

“Just wondering about you and the ease in which you seem to be able to make friends. I have never seen Sif lower her guard as fast as she did tonight. That was not nearly as wondrous as you being able to silence Fandral when he had his mind set on wooing you.” I could see his eyes glint with restrained laughter.

“Well Fandral I could not help. He was a bit too smug and sure about himself and that had to be remedied.” I could not help but wonder if I had the same glint in my eyes as Loki had as I said this. “Sif was a surprise for me too but now that she is a bit more open I find her very friendly. I loved all the stories I just heard about her feats. I think it must be hard for her at court being the only female warrior and all. I can imagine a lot of strife and competition she might have had to endure before she could prove herself. It’s something I can only admire. She made her own way and as far as I can see she succeeded.”

I could see Loki nod at my words. “That she did. But she had a lot of help from Thor and the warriors three.”

While there was nothing wrong or weird with what he had said. Combined with what I felt from him a touch of jealousy and envy his statement was not as neutral as it had sounded. It felt like Loki was trying to diminish her feat by saying she had help. I could not help myself from getting a bit irritated. As if having good friends was the only reason she could have achieved this.

“Where would any of us be without friends?” I moved a bit closer to Loki so I was sure I would not be overheard. “I can imagine a certain princess who would surely have been given a very different fate if she'd not had friends at this palace. But you make it sound like having friends is a bad thing. The only bad thing in a friendship is not deserving it or taking it for granted. People should be lucky to have a worthy friend who helps them and in turn help that friend succeed in their dreams."

I could feel Loki place his hand over mine. His action was blocked by the table so it was not visible to the rest of the people around us.

“Your right Aurora, having friends is not something that reflects badly on a person. It’s just that...”

Before he could say more Thor interrupted us.

“And what are you two talking about that could be more interesting than the story of how we tricked the elves of Alfheim into granting us the ever-flowing chalice of ale?”

I could hear Loki let out a small curse while he added something a lot like “Must that oaf always be so loud?”

I turned back to Thor and could not help but pull his leg a bit. “Well I could not help but notice in your tales that whenever you seemed to get in trouble it usually is Loki and his use of magic that seemed to get you out of it. Seeing as he is to be my tutor in the use of seidr we were discussing my lessons. As your stories keep telling me that magic can be very handy.”

I could see a warm smile form over Thor’s face and in a soft voice he added. “Then you are in safe hands Aurora for it is as you say. Loki has saved us more times with his magic then I care to admit to in public.” With that he turned back towards finishing the rest of his meal.

I looked over to Loki and he looked very surprised at his brother and I guessed he was not used to Thor complimenting him like that.

My thoughts were interrupted when a very strange looking man approached the table. He was different in his looks than what I had seen from the Æsir in the castle. He was very tall and slender but with clear muscles just not as bulky as seemed to be the norm. His hair was long, blond and sleek and he looked to have absolutely no beard or facial hair of any kind. My observation was that this was quite uncommon in Asgard. He moved with a certain grace that put the Æsir men to shame. In my short time observing him I found that I compared him to Loki. While Loki had more defined muscles the way he moved and held himself was quite similar to this man. But then I noticed his ears. They were slightly longer that a human or Æsir and were pointed towards the end. I could see them peak through his sleek hair. He had bright blue eyes but a distant almost proud look in them. I could feel Loki tense up beside me and saw him shoot a mad look at Thor. Thor saw this and made an apologetic face back to Loki and he let out a small sigh before turning back to the man that was approaching.

“Prince Muriel, to what do we owe the pleasure of your company tonight?” Thor loudly said as a greeting.

“Good evening Prince Thor.” He said with a smooth deep and velvety voice. “I could not help but overhear you of Alfheim and the chalice. I wanted to come and hear your rendition of this great tale.”

While Prince Muriel’s face was very calm and serene I could feel a coldness spread from him. But Thor seemed to be oblivious towards this. As he continued in his normal and carefree tone.

“Alas my Prince but the story has been told already. Although it seemed that Princess Aurora was more interested in the mentioning of the magic that was used then the chalice itself.”

The gaze of the prince slowly moved and met mine. It was Loki who took this chance to speak.

“Prince Muriel allow me to introduce you to Princess Aurora.” The prince made a small bow with his head in acknowledgement which I copied. Unsure what to say but thankfully Loki continued.

“I am sorry for the loud boasting my brother has done. He was inconsiderate towards the Elves of Alfheim and for that we are sorry. You know he tends to get a bit loud and has a habit of forgetting to tell all the details. Making the story sound more glorious than reality would have it.”

I could almost see a light bulb go off above Thor’s head as he heard Loki’s words.

“I am sorry Prince Muriel if our rendition of the tale has troubled you. This was not my intention and I hope you will forgive me my words.” Thor added sincerely.

The elven prince looked over towards Loki and I saw a strange flicked of anger flash over his face but within seconds the serene look was back as he turned towards Thor totally ignoring Loki. “Thank you Prince Thor for your kind words. No offense was taken.” With that he turned his attention towards me. “Princess Aurora it is a pleasure to meet you. I hope I will get a chance to talk to you some more soon. Seeing as you are interested in seidr I believe we could have a lot to talk about.” Before anything more could be said he graciously bowed again and walked away from the table.

I could hear Sif and the warriors three start to focus on Thor jesting about his loud voice and how far it seemed to carry.

“What the hell was that all about?” I asked Loki quietly when the prince was far enough away.

Loki let out a big sigh “My oaf of a brother forgets the keen hearing of the elves. Prince Muriel is the son of King Muriel of Alfheim. He is the ambassador between Odin’s court and the court of the light elves. The story of how we got the chalice is a bit of a sore point between us.”

“Is that why he ignored you and made a big deal of addressing me and Thor and leaving you out?” I asked.

I could see Loki’s eyes squint a bit as he looked at me. “You are  observant to have caught that.”

I could not help but roll my eyes a bit. “That combined with the fact that his presence was like a cold snowstorm. It was very hard to miss.”

Loki took a moment as it seemed he was trying to formulate his response. “Muriel and I were great friends once. I lived in Alfheim for a few years training my magic and I was the ambassador between our two lands. I regret the bad things that happened between us but when Thor and I tricked his father into giving us the Chalice our friendship ended. Our friendship was at a very low point then. But the stunt with the chalice ended our friendship for good. I did not know he would take it as such a slight seeing as he and his father are not close. But he did and we got in a great fight. There were other things that ended badly at that time and I decided that going back to Asgard was for the best. But even now with him at our court he only talks to me when he formally has to.”

I could feel Loki was sad and troubled about this but mostly I could feel it was just something he wanted to forget. I wanted to ask him a lot of questions about what happened between them. But I instantly knew I wouldn’t get any answers from him tonight. Not here and not in a public place. So, I decided to give it a rest. I just placed my hand over his under the table and gave him a small reassuring squeeze.

“It’s hard to lose a friend. I’m sorry you lost him.” I said softly.

He turned his hand so our fingers entwined. “Luckily I learn from my mistakes.” He said just as softly and he gave me a smile. “I learned that when someone worthy does offer you friendship you should fight for it and not let it break over petty things. But like all things first you must lose something before you learn this simple lesson.”

Loki removed his hand from mine and we concentrated back on the other people around the table. Luckily the main part of the evening was over and the lower tables were removed so people could mingle and some were even dancing.

Loki took his time to point out the various dances and I did my best to memorize the steps. Seeing as both Thor, Loki and even Fandral assured me that they would force me to dance with them the next chance they got. But luckily they did not press tonight and Fandral went out of his way to ensure he would be most willing in teaching me how to dance. This earning him another eye roll from Sif and laughter from the warriors three.

As the night grew late the crowd grew less and it was finally time to retire. Our group left the hall and I was walking next to Sif back towards my room. We both were a bit tipsy and I could not help myself enjoying some girl time with her.

She was talking about the normal things in the palace as our conversation suddenly turned towards men in general.

“So Aurora tell me what do you like in a man?” Sif asked with a soft voice as we were slowing down to get some room between us and the rest of the group.

I could not help but giggle a bit at this strange question that I never envisioned coming from Sif. It was such a girly girl question it seemed strange to come from the warrior woman.

“What do you mean? What do I like about a man’s character or what do I like about a man’s appearance?”

“Both.” Was the only thing Sif said with a big grin on her face. “This is something I could never discuss with them.” Motioning towards the warriors three and Loki and Thor in front of us.

“I can imagine.” I added with a chuckle. “But to answer your question about a man’s character. The only thing I can say for certain is that I like to be treated as an equal. I could never respect a man who does not respect me in return. Or expect me to do things he would not just because he’s a man. For the rest, I think that each man is different and the aspects you would love in a man would only be defined by knowing him. In one you might love his sense of humor but in another it might be his intelligence. But for me the respect as an equal must be there before I would even consider to look further.”

I could see Sif mull over my words and she smiled at me. “I agree with you. Mutual respect is something needed in a relationship. For I could never love a man who would force me to give up my warrior title and stay home.”

I gave Sif a smile in return as I could feel her resolve behind those words.

“But what about appearance?” Sif questioned coyly. “Did you see anyone at court your eye finds pleasing?”

I could not help but laugh again at her girlish line of questioning and I could not help but suddenly sense Loki’s mirth and interest in our conversation. He must have been using magic to eavesdrop because there was quite a deal of space between us and the rest of the men seemed none the wiser. But to be honest I thought his interested had more to do with Sif being tipsy than our actual conversation. As he had joked on this fact several times earlier this evening.

Sif gave me a small bump with her arm to get my focus back on her. “Well just to make sure we're talking only about appearance here.” I warned her. “And not about me being interested in the actual person. I did find Prince Muriel very handsome. While I don't have any other elves for comparison I think it's the elven physique I quite like It's very different from the typical Asgardian male.”

I could see Sif eyes pop out as I said this and I swear I heard Loki cough loudly in the distance. Sure I found Loki very handsome as well. Maybe even more so than Prince Muriel. But I was not ready to say that to Sif. Especially not with Loki eavesdropping on us.

“You find the Elven prince handsome?” Sif repeated as if she could not comprehend what I meant.

“Yes, he’s very handsome and tall. Not as overly muscular as someone like Thor but still clearly very strong. The only thing is that he’s blond.” I added. “I do prefer darker hair as it tends to bring out a man’s eyes more. Seeing that everyone I've met here have beautiful eyes.”

I found it funny to see Sif mull over my answer but clearly she had not expected it. “I guess the norm in Asgard is different?” I asked still looking at her. This earning me a smile from her.

“You guessed right. For me and most Asgardian woman we like our men to be big and muscular. We mostly prefer blond hair and have a great fondness for beards. While the Elves are very skilled warriors and are greatly respected, Asgardian woman tend to find them less attractive.”

Now I could not help but laugh. “So in other words Thor is not only a prince but for the majority of Asgard he also is the pinnacle of male beauty?”

Sif’s face turned red as she looked at Thor who was still walking in front of us with a longing expression emanating from her. I suddenly felt for her as I understood that given the chance she would want more then friendship between her and Thor. It also dawned on me that the reason she might have acted a bit cold with me was because she might have considered me a rival.

Sif stayed silent and I tried to lighten the mood. “It’s good then that the woman of Asgard have nothing to worry about. You know concerning my tastes in their men?” I joked but I looked at Sif hoping to signal to her that I had no interest in Thor whatsoever and I slipped my arm in hers. I could feel her emotions calm down a bit and I felt like she understood what I'd tried to say.

We continued our walk this way but after a few turns Sif and the warriors thee had to go their separate way to their quarters. While Thor, Loki and I walked on together towards the wing housing our rooms. As we reached the wing Thor wished me good night and took off. Loki promised me to start our training tomorrow. He explained he would have a training and sparring session early in the morning. After this he would come and find me so we could study. I wished him goodnight and entered my room.

Yara helped me get out of my dress and I was too tired to shower. So I just put on my long sleeping gown and asked Yara to wake me in the morning.

 


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you are still enjoying my story.  
> Would love to hear from you in the comments section!

I woke from the sensation of light filtering into my room and for the first time I felt a bit at home. Most of my immediate uncertainties had been dealt with. I had the feeling that with the people I knew I could find my way to a happy life within the palace. The only thing bothering me was the lack of memories. I found it hard not knowing where I came from. Or how I got from Midgard to Asgard. I was still pondering this as Yara entered my bedroom.

“Good morning Princess Aurora.” She said with a happy voice as she saw me awake and sitting up in my bed.

We took a few moments to discuss my day so she could pick a dress for me. I took a shower and let her do her thing. The dress she selected was very pretty but luckily not as over the top as the one I wore the night before. While I loved that dress I was just happy that everyday life would not be accompanied with such elaborate clothing.

She helped me dress and we decided on minimal jewelry and a simple loose hairstyle. She took the front part of my hair and braided it into a few small braids waiving them back and out of my face. She secured them in place with a little hair comb.

It was still early and I was reminded of the fact that Loki told me he would be training.

“Yara, Prince Loki told me he would be spending his morning training and sparring. Is it normal for royalty to practice fighting on a regular basis?”

I could see a smile form on her face. “In Asgard a warrior is held in very high esteem. So both princes train almost daily to hone their skills. Almost each morning you can find them, Lady Sif and the warriors three at the training grounds within the palace. It’s quite the spectacle and it’s watched by a lot of people. Its initially meant for the guards and warriors to watch so they can learn from their fighting styles. But when the princes are practicing there tend to be quite the selection of noble woman watching.” She added with a giggle.

Suddenly I was very interested to see the spectacle. I had heard a lot of tales during dinner. But to be honest it was hard to imagine how they fought. They all seemed very nice and it was hard to imagine them as warriors. Although I knew I was being a bit naïve in my thinking.

“Yara would it be improper for me to watch them train? I must say I’m very interested to see Lady Sif fight.” I asked.

“Not at all my Princess. If you wish I could show you the way to the training yard.”

I could feel she was actually quite excited to go there and I gave her a big smile “Yes please if you would. I would love some company and the opportunity to ask some questions if I might have them.”

It took us a good 15 minutes to navigate the palace and reach the training yards. I was glad to find that I could still remember most of the way from when Loki had shown me. But I was even happier about the fact that Yara was now my handmaiden and she could keep me company. As we had been chatting the whole way and she was quite funny. As we entered the training yard I saw the big outdoor field Loki had shown me. It was separated in a few different types of flooring. There was a part with sand and a part with grass. But there also were large obstacle courses and poles scattered throughout the yard. To one side of the yard there was a sort of slightly raised tribune where people could sit and Yara motioned me towards it so we could take a place. It seemed that with my new status I had a front row seat as people automatically moved aside when Yara lead me to the best places.

“This training yard is used by the royal family and the higher-ranking guards and warriors.” She explained while she took her seat next to me. “Outside of the palace there are more training grounds for the lower stationed guards and soldiers. But as you can see this one is for the elite. Like I said before they do allow the other guards to watch so they can learn. It’s even possible to challenge a higher-ranking warrior. If they win they can advance their position. It’s how Lady Sif got hers in such a short time. She challenged every level and in the end, even bested Thor in single combat. Although he was not allowed to use Mjolnir in the fight.”

I could feel she had great respect for Lady Sif. It was clear she admired her greatly. Our conversation was interrupted when a group walked on to the training field. I could see both Loki and Thor with Sif and the warriors three behind them. They were all dressed in what seemed to be a combination of leather and armor. Sif especially looked very badass while still quite beautiful.

I could see the seats filling up with spectators and I saw Sif scan the people in the seats. When her eyes caught mine she smiled and I gave her a small wave. It looked like she alerted the others to my presence as they all seemed to walk over towards me and Yara.

I stood up and met them at the fence separating the tribune from the field. I was greeted by Thor’s booming voice.

“Aurora what good it is to see you this morning. To what do we owe this pleasure?” he bellowed.

I could not help but smile as Thor seemed very enthusiastic. “Good morning all. I must say I was a bit curious about you training as I have never seen Asgardian warriors in action. Combined with the stories you told me last night I got curious. But now seeing you in full armor I must admit you all look absolutely terrifying.” I joked. This earning me smiles from the whole group.

I could see a mischievous twinkle behind Sif her eyes. “Well seeing as this will be the first time Aurora will see Asgardian warriors fight I think it’s best we give her a spectacle.” She said as she turned towards the rest. “We do not want her to be disappointed and think all the boasting Thor does at the dinner table is false.”

I could see Thor’s surprised look at Sif’s words and I had to do my best not to laugh as it was clear that Sif was teasing him.

“What do you all think?” Sif said to the group. “I propose that instead of a normal training we do a group scenario to spice things up a bit. I would suggest Thor, Loki and myself against the warriors three. To keep the fight balanced there will be no use of magic or Mjolnir. The only weapons we can use are the training weapons. When receiving a killing blow, you leave the field. The first group to eliminate the other is the winner. Also, I think it only fair that we can use the whole field and not limit ourselves to a certain place.”

I saw the others think about her proposal for a few seconds. I could not help but smile when I saw their faces light up and they all agreed. Thor bellowed loudly over the field claiming this would be a grand match. While the rest walked back to get their weapons Loki remained. I noticed the very mischievous grin on Loki's face again.

"You know if you keep smiling like that I might think you are up to something." I said to him in a low voice so no one would hear.

"Dear Aurora, I am always up to something." He replied with a smile on his face that nearly took my breath away. “Let’s just say that I have been waiting for a while to get back at Fandral for a few things and I think this might be a perfect opportunity." And with a wink he turned to get ready for the fight.

I took my seat again next to Yara. I explained to her that they would do a group scenario just for me to show off their skills when a Shadow fell across us. As I looked up I was greeted by the sight of a certain handsome Elf.

"Good morning Princess Aurora." He greeted. “I could not help but overhear your conversation with your handmaiden and I was wondering if I could keep you company during their fight."

I didn't know why he would want that but I decided it was wrong to alienate royalty the first week of my stay here. So, I thought I would just accept his invitation.

"Good morning Prince Muriel, it would be my pleasure." With this Yara automatically vacated her seat so the prince could sit. While I understood her place as a handmaiden I did regret my decision a bit as I was looking forward to spending some more time with her.

"So as I understand there will be a display of skill from the princes and the warriors at your request." He said and while I tried to get a sense of the man it appeared to be harder with elves then Asgardians. Normally I could easily get some feelings from a person but with the prince it was quite difficult. This surprised me as the coldness I felt the night before at the dinner table had been quite distinct. Maybe it had something to do with the intensity of his emotions. But I just decided to ignore this lack of feeling and answer the question.

"Well yes, there will be a sort of demonstration of their skill. But it was not at my request. But more because of my lack of familiarity with their skills. As I told them I have been lucky to have been raised in a very peaceful manner and have not had much experience with warriors or fighting. Seeing that my friends are happy to show off their skill they surprised me with a demonstration." I explained.

I could see Prince Muriel nod. "You have been fortunate to have had such a peaceful life. The life of a warrior can be a hard one. Not only for themselves but also for the people they love. It seems that Asgard has a way of glorifying that life. So, while I sincerely hope your stay here is just as peaceful as you have been accustomed to as you can see...." And he motioned towards the field where I saw Sif and the rest appear to take their places. "They are a race prone to physical violence."

Before I could reply to his sinister view the group on the field came into action.

As their demonstration started I could see them fan out over the whole yard. It looked like Sif had her intentions on Hogun, Volstag was charging at Thor. While Loki with one swift move climbed to the top of a series of wooden poles and began taunting Fandral.

I was surprised by the speed Thor and Volstag moved. They both where huge bulking men but they moved with an amazing speed and grace. They both used training swords and were swinging at each other like madman. Sif and Hogun had also reached each other by now. Hogun using a sort of mace and Sif a sword. I could see them circling each other carefully exchanging blows but it looked more like they were testing each other. It was a graceful dance they did. One attacked and the other countered. Then the other would attack only to be countered again.

By now Loki was facing Fandral who had also climbed to the top of the wooden poles. It surprised me to see not only Loki but also Fandral gracefully hop from pole to pole maneuvering around each other. Loki was wielding a long stave and Fandral had a sword. I could see him grin as he kept trying to sweep Fandral's feet from under him. But Fandral was quite agile and managed to hop from pole to pole avoiding the attacks. Making Loki follow him around.

The whole tribune was roaring and cheering loudly and I could see more people filling the seats as they were drawn in by the sounds. Suddenly I heard Prince Muriel’s voice close to my ear.

"And from those in front of you who do you find most interesting to watch?" He asked while his eyes never left the fight in front of us.

"I'm drawn between Loki and Fandral and Sif and Hogun. I love the way the first are fighting on top of the poles. But the way Sif and Hogun seem to anticipate each other’s moves is amazing. It's like they know the others move before they make it." I said with my eyes also glued to the spectacle in front of me.

At that moment, the crowd cheered as it seemed Loki managed to hit Fandral. Sending him flying off the poles. I was worried Fandral might get hurt as the poles were quite high. But he turned midair like an athlete and landed almost perfectly on his feet. Loki shouted something at Fandral which I could not hear but I could see Fandral's face turn red as he furiously climbed back on to the poles.

I could not help but grin at the determination on Fandral's face.

"It seems like Prince Loki has a score to settle." Prince Muriel said with a cool tone in his voice.

"What makes you say this?" I could not help but ask.

"I am familiar with his fighting style and while I see it's much improved at this moment he is playing and not fighting. If he truly wanted he could have bested Fandral several times already but it seems he is toying with him like a cat does a mouse."

At that moment I saw Fandral topple from the beams a second time and I heard Loki’s laugh reverberate over the yard. I instantly understood what the prince meant. Loki did look like he was toying with him and was having great fun while doing it. At that instance our focus went to Thor and Volstag where with a big roar Volstag had managed to charge Thor. Thor tried to shift his position to get out of Volstag’s reach but he seemed to lose his footing. Seeing an opening Volstag managed to hit Thor straight in the chest. Thor let out a big laugh and clapped Volstag on the back as he turned to leave the field. Volstag immediately turned towards Hogan and Sif who were fighting nearby. As Volstag charged behind Sif’s back Loki shifted as lightening on the beams. Crossing several at an almost impossible speed. He threw his staff up high in the air and reached in the leather of his armor. There were flashes of silver leaving his hands and they hit Volstag on his chest mid charge. I saw what looked like to be a series of small knives. They seemed to stick to Volstag’s chest. Like a juggler in a carnival Loki raised his hand and snatched the staff that came falling from the air without even looking. But I saw Fandral take this opportunity to cross the beams towards Loki who had his back towards him. He managed to cross the beams almost as fast as Loki had done and raised his sword for a brutal blow on Loki’s back. I could not help but gasp at the sight. Just before the sword could hit  him he twisted round and parried Fandral's blow with his stave. I was amazed at how fast Loki could react but then saw that the force of the blow had compromised his balance. Loki fell off the pole and landed hard on his back and looked to be dazed for a moment.

"This is the reason why Loki gets in trouble while fighting." Prince Muriel said softly in my ear. “He is so focused on causing trouble that he forgets the simplest rule of fighting.”

“And this rule is?” I asked giving him a small glance but I saw he was still focused on the fight.

“That the only safe situation is to terminate your opponent as quickly as possible. Do not play or grandstand just be calm and collected. As soon as an opportunity arrives take it and end the fight. For a dead opponent cannot hurt you.”

I saw Loki trying to regain his breath from the fall and Sif maneuver herself between both his enemies. Fandral had left the poles and he and Hogun were closing in on them. She was magnificent as she fought the two men while she succeeded in keeping them away from Loki. I was starting to get worried but to my relief Loki got up and regained hold of his staff. He shouted something to Sif and she moved over. It looked like Sif was facing Fandral now and Loki was aiming at Hogun. This getting another reply from Prince Muriel.

“Finally, now he is doing the smart thing.” He sighed. “Hogun’s weapon has an even shorter reach than Fandral’s sword. This will give Loki the better odds. Hogun should have been his target from the beginning.”

I could not help but notice that Prince Muriel had shifted in his seat so that we were so close that our arms were touching. I don’t know why but I felt slightly uncomfortable and tried to get a bit of distance between us. Now with the physical contact I could feel a strange mix of feelings coming from the prince. But they were so jumbled together that I could not quite put my finger on what they were. But they made me uncomfortable for sure.

Right at that moment Loki managed to take out Hogun with a big swoop of his staff and the crowd cheered loudly making me almost jump in my seat as I had been a bit preoccupied trying to sift through the prince his emotions.

I could hear the prince chuckle lightly. But I ignored him as Sif and Loki were now circling Fandral who made a valiant effort to fend them both off. But with a great swing from Loki’s staff his sword went flying and he was left staring down Sif’s sword that was pointed directly to his chest. Everyone on the tribune stood and started clapping loudly and I took this change to get some distance between me and the prince. I saw Thor and the others walk back on the field and congratulate the winners.

Out of nowhere I felt Prince Muriel take my hand and turn me towards him. Between the loudness of the people on the tribune he spoke softly so his words did not carry further then the two of us.

“Princess Aurora, please forgive me for my frankness but I wish to warn you against your friendship with Loki. He is not the sort of person who is capable of being friends with anyone. The friends he has are the friends of his brother and that is the only reason they tolerate him. As for Thor, he is blinded and cannot  see the dangers that Loki brings. Aurora, I find you to be a bright woman and I fear that Loki’s friendship will only cause you harm.”

While he said this his grip on my hand was like iron and no matter how I tried to pull my hand back the prince was very strong. His eyes never left mine and I saw a pleading look in them. The touch of our skin seemed to make my empathic connection grow even more. Where I first could only sense blurred emotions now they became a lot clearer. I could feel his anger towards Loki and the determination behind those words. He really believed he was doing well by warning me. But still I could not help but get angry in return. Who the hell did he think he was? I didn’t know him at all and I knew enough about Loki as a person to know his character. I couldn’t care less about what happened between the both of them. Who was he to try and get between Loki and a friend? Yes, I really was getting quite angry.

“My Prince.” I said with a cold and icy voice. Leaving out his first name on purpose as an insult. “I will not have anyone badmouth my friends in my company.” I had to try hard to keep my voice down so I would not be overheard. “Who I care for and befriend is for me to decide and while Loki told me of the bad blood between you, that’s between the two of you and has nothing to do with me. I truly believe he learned from his mistakes and he has been nothing but gentle and kind towards me. Also, I’m of the conviction that before you can give people such personal advice you might consider befriending them first. For if I had to choose between the word of a stranger and a friend I will always choose the friend. No matter how high the rank of the stranger might be.”

I could see a flash of anger behind Prince Muriel’s eyes but I held his gaze.

“Now please release my hand before I remove yours for you. I might not have the strength but I surly have enough seidr to fend you off.” I hoped he believed the threat. While I knew I was bluffing I hoped he would think me capable of doing so.

Prince Muriel’s eyes flickered towards the training ground and from the corner of my eyes I could see my friends walking towards us. I was certain Loki noticed what was going on. To my surprise Prince Muriel suddenly bowed and lifted my hand towards his lips and kissed it softly. As he looked back up our eyes met. “My apologies Princes Aurora. My interference was kindly meant. If you ever have any troubles and you need the help of a friend I will be at your service.” With that he let go of my hand and blended in the crowd of people leaving the tribune.

The second he left I heard Yara’s voice besides me full with worry. “Princess are you alright?” She gently took my hand. As I looked down I could see bruises start to form where I had struggled against Prince Muriel’s grip.

“I’m fine Yara.” I was shaking a bit but it was more from anger than anything else. I gently pulled the hem of my sleeve down so it would cover most of my hand. Before I could say more to her I heard Thor’s booming voice at the other side of the railing.

“Princes Aurora, how did you find the spectacle?”

I gave Yara a small reassuring smile and turned to the railing. The whole group was now looking at me to get my reaction. I did my best to shove my anger aside and not spoil their anticipation. As they had done their best to put on a show for me. I took a deep breath and plastered a big smile on my face.

“It was a spectacle indeed. Never have I seen anything like the way you fought and moved. It’s a good thing I knew you before I witnessed this or I might have been too afraid to ever speak with you all again.”

This earning me a full out laugh from all of them.

“But wait let me see if I can join you down there.” And I looked over to see if I could walk around the tribune so I could enter the yard. It was quite annoying standing elevated from them all. But the crowd was still leaving and I did not felt like worming through a crowd to get to them.

It seemed that Loki comprehended what I was thinking as he stepped towards the railing lifting his arms. At the same time Thor jumped up on the railing and offer me a hand. I could not help but smile at their actions. I took Thor’s hand and gently sat on the railing while I brought both my legs over. With a thank you to Thor I let myself fall in to Loki’s arms who caught me with no problem and gently lowered me on the ground.

“I really cannot comprehend how skilled you all are.” I said as I was now standing amidst them all. “How long do you have to train to get to that level?”

It was Hogun who answered. “It’s normal for Æsir men to start their training as small boys to learn the basics. But seeing as we all grew up within the royal court it was always expected of us to excel and surpass the people around us.”

“Except for Sif of course.” Volstag interrupted. “She…….”

But he was interrupted by Sif herself. “I mastered the same training the boys had in a hundred years while it took them over five hundred.” She said proudly.

I could not help but to laugh at the sound of their male ego’s deflating.

“Well that’s the lesson I will take out of this all.” I grinned as I gave Sif a wink. “For no matter how good men are there will always be a woman to do it better and faster.”

This earning me a loud roar of laughter from Thor, giggles from Volstag and Hogun and a look of true surprise bordering on terror from Fandral and Loki. I looped my arm through Sif’s and we left the men as we walked towards the exit of the yard. It only took a few moments for the men to catch up. As we reached the exit I released Sif’s arm as it was clear she and the rest would have to go and refresh themselves before they did anything else. They were quite dusty and sweaty from their workout. They all excused themselves to freshen up. All but Loki. He moved a bit out of sight and towards a corner. He waved his hand in an elaborate looking movement and before my eyes it was as if he had not fought at all. His hair was perfect and he looked refreshed and showered. His armor had vanished and was replaced with his normal outfit.

I had to do my best not to stare and I could see a grin form. I could not help but slap him on the arm. “Showoff!” I scolded but I couldn’t help but wince as I had used my bruised hand.

Loki not missing a thing caught my arm before I could pull it away and gently lifted my sleeve. Exposing the finger shaped bruises on my hand. As I was in contact with his skin I could feel anger flair up the instance the dots in his head connected. I could feel him fighting internally to keep his expression neutral. He took a big breath before he spoke but I could hear the anger in his voice none the less.

“What happened between you and Muriel?”

I deflated a bit letting my happy mask drop. But before I could reply we were interrupted by soldiers coming into the yard. I noticed them looking at us. It must have been a strange sight me and Loki standing out of sight in a corner with him holding my hand. Loki must have picked up on this too. He gently moved my bruised hand into the crook of his arm and without another look led me into the hallway. We walked silently and I noticed that that he was taking me to the library. When we reached it he let go of my arm and motioned me over to the stairs to the left where I knew his personal library was. I walked up the stairs as he followed and when I motioned towards the book that would open the passage way to his library he just nodded. I pulled the book and when I entered his library I noticed the room was different. He had cleaned away a few of the books. The shelves now looking fuller and the room looking a little less cluttered. I could see that he had made more free space by moving his desk towards the wall. I was feeling tired of the whole ordeal with Prince Muriel and the emotions still emanating from Loki. Not really sure what to do I just took a seat on the sofa against the wall.

Loki seemed to pace a few times in the center of the room but finally seated himself next to me. “What happened?” He now asked with a much gentler tone in his voice.

“I really don’t know.” I replied. “He took a seat next to me and promised to give me some insight into your fighting styles. Knowing nothing about fighting I agreed. But when you finished he took my hand and held it in a vice like grip. I tried to get my hand free but it was of no use. The bruises are most likely from me fighting his grip and not from him wanting to hurt me.” I explained. “I just got really mad as he had the audacity to tell me that you are a bad friend and you would end up hurting me. That it would be better for me to break off our friendship.” I could feel myself getting angry again.

Loki looked at me with an unreadable expression on his face. “What did he say exactly?”

 I knew it would be pointless to lie or sugarcoat things so I took a big breath and continued. “He said that you were incapable of having friends. That the only friends you have are your brother’s friends. And that the only reason Thor is your friend is because he is your brother and he is incapable of seeing the dangers in you.”

Loki seemed to deflate a bit and sagged against the back of the sofa closing his eyes. I could not help but feel a sadness spread through him. I moved so I was now sitting closer. Our shoulders touching and I took his hand in mine and gave it a gentle squeeze to comfort him. I wanted to tell him I thought Muriel was wrong but I kind of sensed I had to give Loki some time. So, I just sat there holding his hand after a few moments I let my head rest against his shoulder waiting for Loki to say something. With our hands touching I could feel sadness war with anger inside of him as he seemed to try and process what I had said. After a while I could feel the most prominent emotions die down a bit as he got himself under control but could not help but feel his loneliness. I looked up and I could see him looking down at me. He turned a bit so we could face each other more easily.

“Aurora as you might have noticed I am kind of a private person. I do my best not to let my feelings show. I like to let people think their words do not harm me and that I do not care. With you I am different for I know there is no reason to pretend. Even if I do not let it show you can still feel them. But in times like this it also means I cannot pretend somethings not bothering me. While it’s kind of nice not to have to pretend at the same time it also scares me some. For I do not know what to do or say to you in those moments. So thank you for giving me time to collect my thoughts.”

I gave him a small nod to signal that I understood.

“I know Muriel is still very angry about the past and while I am not comfortable telling you what exactly happened between us I can understand why he would say such things. He is right when he said that Sif and the warriors three are mostly Thor’s friends. I know they only befriended me because of my bond with Thor. I am not a person who makes friends with ease. I know when people lie and I know when they tell the truth. In a friendship this is quite hard and most of the time it tends to ruin things. My brother being the exception as he almost never lies to me. I confided these things to Muriel during our friendship. It hurts that he used my own confessions to try and alienate you away from me.”

I loosened my hand from his to dampen his emotions a bit as they were quite overwhelming.

“I’m sorry for this whole mess Loki. I did not mean to bring this all back up. I knew it would be pointless to lie to you about what he said. But please know that I will not let go of our friendship because of something in your past. I need this friendship as much as I feel that you need it.”

This earned me a smile from him. “I am very glad to hear you say this Aurora.”

“Loki can I asked you a question?” Something suddenly popped into my mind up and I really wanted to ask him. After a small nod from him I continued. “You told me that you find it hard to make friends. Why do you think it's so different between us? I’ve known you for a few days now and you feel like the best friend I’ve known for my whole life.” As soon as I realized what I said and I could not help but feel self-conscious about my words. I could feel a blush form on my cheeks and I had to look away. Sometimes I did not have a brain to mouth filter. It was his hand beneath my chin that softly pulled my face back up that made me look him in the eyes again.

“You have only known me for a few days Aurora.” He said softly. “But I have worried and cared for you for years. Since you awoke you have done nothing but be kind towards me and trust me. To such an extent that you even let me look inside your mind, at your memories. You have never once lied to me even if the answer was difficult for you. You defended me when you thought I needed it. Even with our fight in the clearing when you heard Fenrir. I know I frightened you badly but you still gave me a chance to explain and then you even forgave me.” His breath hitched in his throat and he shook his head. “To be honest in the very short time you have been awake you have been more of a friend to me than any I have ever had.” With that he dropped his gaze to the ground not able look me in the eyes anymore.

I could not help but look at this lonely man next to me on the couch. I stood and took his hands and pulled him to his feet. I could see a confused look cross his face but he still stood. As soon as he was on his feet I wrapped my arms around his middle and gave him a big hug. He was a fair bit taller so my head was resting against his chest under his chin. But I felt his arms close around me and he rested his head on top of mine. After just standing there for a moment he took a few steps back. Without releasing me he sat back down on the sofa. I had to move my arms a bit but he did not release his hold on me. He just pulled me into his lap. I was quite amazed at how comfortable me being on his lap and in his arms felt. Where I would have thought I would have been nervous or shy I just felt calm. I could also feel Loki’s nerves calm as we just sat there. I folded my arms in my lap and let my head rest against his chest. As we just sat there trying to sort out our emotions.

I could feel his breath on the top of my head as he spoke again. “What did you say to Muriel after he said those things about me?” He asked.

I grinned a bit. “I might have said that I wouldn’t tolerate anyone speaking ill of my friends in my presence. That I was the only one to choose my friends. Also, that I wouldn’t take advice from people who I did not consider to be a friend. That If I had to choose between a friend and a high ranking stranger I would always choose my friend. Then I might have threatened to use my magic to remove his hand if he would not do it himself. I was clearly bluffing but luckily he didn’t know that.”

I could hear Loki’s laugh rumble in his chest and I had to lift my head from his chest before I got dizzy from the shaking.

“I’m amazed he kissed your hand after that.” Loki managed to get out “I would have been terrified you would fry my head off.”

I could not help but laugh too. “You would know my threats to be empty seeing as I don’t know any spells to begin with.”

“But that is something I can remedy.” Loki said cheerfully. He gently moved me from his lap and back to the sofa so he could get up. He walked over to his desk and got a book. He then took the seat next to me. He looked tense for a moment then continued. “I want to use a spell on you so you can learn All speak. This way you can read a great deal of the books I have. Normally this spell is one of the only spells that all Asgardians receive when growing up. It will also translate different languages so different races can talk to each other without a language barrier.  But it is limited for there are languages it will not translate. For example, the old Norse language that is written in runes. This you must study. Because the more difficult and dangerous spells are still in the Old Norse tongue.”

I could not help but quickly nod yes as I really wanted to be able to read the books in the library. Loki seemed a bit nervous as he placed his hands on each side of my head. He said a few words I did not understand and I felt a tingle go through my body. As he let go he reached for the book and laid it in my lap. To my delight I could read the title. Basic spells for beginners was adorned on the book in pretty golden letters. I could not help but feel exited as it dawned on me that this would be my first magic lesson.

 


	10. Chapter 10

Loki opened the book and explained the way spells were written down. For each spell there was a short summary on what it was supposed to do. Then if necessary a rendition of the hand movements that were required in text and images. It amazed me to see that the images in the book were actually moving like a sort of video. The last part of any spell was the incantation.

“As you can see the incantation itself is not translated.” Loki explained. “While the All speak does transform the spell into a phonetic version you can use it’s still in another language. You need to pronounce the spell just as its written. The ancient language of Seidr has long been lost that is why it cannot be translated. So, there are no new spells to be made, only old spells to be used. While very advanced Seidr users can combine two spells to create a combined use, it’s impossible to create something totally new.”

I listened to him with rapt attention but could not help interrupt him to ask questions. “So I’m curious. Is there something you would want to do with magic but you cannot just because there is no spell for it?” I asked.

Loki smiled at my question. “There is a lot I wish I was able to do but I do not know the spell. This does not mean there is no spell. Just that I have not found it yet. But as far as I know the general rule I find is that there is no magic that can change time. It’s possible to speed up a person so he looks to go faster. It’s possible to slow a person down so he looks to have frozen. But as far as I know it’s impossible to stop, reverse or speed up the flow of time. Not even the Norn’s have this power.”

I nodded my head in understanding. “I think that’s for the best. I cannot imagine what would happen to the world if there was a person with such power and they used it for evil.”

Loki seemed to think about what I said. “That would be a very bad thing indeed. For he would be unstoppable. Long ago there were magic relics that held such power. Infinity stones they were called and one of them could indeed manipulate time. But luckily they were destroyed and lost in the void to stop anything like that from happening.” Loki just sat there for a moment thinking and after a few second he shook his head and looked at me. “Now for you first lesson.” He said as he clapped his hands. He paged through the book till he came to the page he wanted. It read Minor healing spell.

“Let's see if we can do something about your hand.” Loki said as he motioned me to read the page. “While the words will not work without the hand movement there is still power in the words. So, do not say them out loud but practice them in your head.”

I studied the page deeply. The hand movement was very simple. It looked like you just had to hover a few centimeters above the area that you wanted to heal. The incantation sounded very foreign as I repeated it in my head. The phonetic translation sounding something like: nesta tîl alwa.

After a few moments Loki motioned me to look at him. “Now I am going to help you clear your mind.” He placed his hands against my temples. “Close your eyes and picture this room and nothing else.”

I did as he said and I could feel myself calm. But I could feel his presence around me and I could not help but get distracted by this.

“Do not focus on me, focus on this room and nothing else. Clear out all the sounds or distractions and calm your emotions. You feel safe and calm.”  He instructed.

I did as he asked and focused on keeping calm sitting in the room with not a care in the world.

“Now I want you to think the words in your mind. Focus and pronounce the words in your mind. This way I can hear them.”

I did what he asked and was rewarded with a sense of warmth coming from Loki. “Your pronunciation is good but do not get distracted. When you are feeling calm. Open your eyes and look at your hands. Place your good hand over the bruised one and when you are ready say the words.”

I took a moment and when I opened my eyes I placed my hand as instructed. I took a deep breath and uttered “Nesta tîl alwa.” I felt a warmth emanate from within me. This warmth moving slowly from my chest to my arm and into my hand. There was a slight tingle in my injured hand and while I watched I saw the bruises slowly fade. Then the warmth slowly faded and when I was sure the magic was over I removed my hand.

Loki removed his hands from my temples and took my now uninjured hand in his. Softly turning my hand. “How does it feel?” He asked as he looked at me.

I flexed my hand and turned it a few times. “Much better. I can still vaguely feel where the bruises were but it’s more like my mind telling me they should be there then them actually being there.

As I looked back up at Loki I saw a huge smile on his face. “And that Aurora was your first magic spell. I am quite amazed that it worked on the first go. I must be a very good teacher.” He said with a smug look on his face.

I could not help but laugh at the look on his face. He looked quite proud of himself.

“Normally teaching someone to use their seidr is quite dry.” Loki added. “The first years of teaching are spent on creating morals and learning to calm your mind into a state of serenity. But that is when they are teaching children. I thought with your lessons I would do a more practical training. While I just helped you clear your mind. The hardest part of learning to use your seidr is connecting to the magic inside and directing it outwards. I must say you are a natural.”

“So how do you propose we continue?” I asked because I was excited to try more. I could see Loki’s eyes brighten as he heard the excitement in my voice.

“Well I have an idea but I want to discuss this with you first.” He shifted a bit on the sofa like he was nervous at what he wanted to say. “Like I said normally a teacher will teach you how to calm your mind and teach you a firm set of morals. As I already know there is nothing wrong with your morals. You have a clear mind and I think we can agree you would not try anything dangerous with the magic you have.”

Again, I nodded as I waited him to continue.

“When small children learn magic in the early years their seidr is still quite weak. So, they have the ability to learn the pronunciation of the words and they are allowed to say them out loud and discuss them with their teacher. After those first years when their seidr matures they are not allowed to say the words out loud while practicing but by then they know how to pronounce the words. The first dilemma I face with you is that your seidr is of the charts. So, I do not want to risk a discussion out loud. There will be a lot of instances where I will have to be able to move around the room. Or where the hand movements you have to do will be hindered by my proximity.”

He stopped to see if I understood what he said.

“I understand but what do you propose?” I asked. I could feel there was something holding him back.

“There are two ways we can move forward.” Loki continued while he looked away. “We can plan the lessons so that we will start the lesson with a session where we discuss everything I want to handle with you that day. But if and when you have a question during the rest of the day you cannot ask that without us stopping what we are doing. For I need to listen to your pronunciation while touching your head and when the spell needs more movement I will be in your way.”

“And the other option?” I could see Loki shuffle a bit on the sofa and I got curious.

“The other option is me using more magic on you.” Loki looked up to see my reaction.

I did not know why he would think I would be put off by this. I could feel he was slightly nervous fearing my reaction.

“Loki just tell me what the second option is. I’m not going to run out of here screaming just because you propose something. As long as you give me a choice to make up my mind without pressure we will be fine.”

I could feel him relax a bit. “I am sorry. I am just not used to people not minding my powers. You see there is a small difference in performing magic and using it on another person. Using it on another person is somewhat of a taboo as people usually do not trust me enough to let me do it. Overall It’s done very seldom and even then, usually only because the other person is in dire need. Like with the healing magic. So even when I suggest these things somewhere in the back of my mind I expect you to get mad at me for even suggesting it.”

Now I could not help but smile as I understood his feelings. So, I placed my hand over his and gave it a little squeeze. “I know this is new for both of us but I promise you. I will let you know if I feel uncomfortable or when a suggestion is too much for me. I won’t get mad. We need to get comfortable with each other to do this so I will be totally honest with you. And I know that I can trust you. “

It was Loki now who nodded at my words.

“Thank you Aurora. I will keep this in mind. What I propose as the second option is a linking rune. What I would do is mark your skin with a linking rune. I would spell it so it would not be visible to other people. Then you would do the same to me. The linking rune would link us together making it so that we can speak with each other much like Fenrir does with his mind. The rune will be set so that unlike with Fenrir we have to actively concentrate to be able to communicate this way. This making sure only the things we want to say to each other come through. There would also be a sort of lock on the link where the person would be able to disengage the link for however long they want when they need privacy. There is a small drawback to this link though. While communicating, the other party will be able to feel the most basic and active emotions of the other person at the time. While I know you can feel my emotions without the link. It does mean when we are communicating I would be able to feel your emotions too.”

With that he stopped explaining and looked at me to see what I thought.

It took me a few moments to think and I had a few questions. “So to sum this up. Whenever we want we would be able to communicate telepathically. But only when I actively want this?”

Loki nodded

“And I won’t be able to accidentally activate the link? Say I’m having a nightmare and in my dream I call out to you I won’t go and start broadcasting to you in your head?”

Loki laughed and there was this little mischievous twinkle in his eyes. “No it will be warded so that you will only be able to connect to me when fully in control.”

I nodded but still had more questions. “Ok, but will you be able to hear all my thoughts or only the ones I actively concentrate towards you?”

“I would not be able to hear all your thoughts. You will have to actively formulate the things you want me to hear.”

Again, this made me feel more at ease. “The privacy lock thing I get. But I still have a question about you feeling my emotions. Would you be able to feel them all the time or just when we are communicating through the link? Also, would you feel everything I feel or just the most recognizable emotions? Because with my empath emotions it’s like when I stand near a person I can get the gist of their emotions. But when actually touching the skin of another person I can get a lot more from them.”

Loki looked at me with a puzzled expression on his face. “To be honest I do not know. I have read about these links in an old book I found about seidr priestesses a long time ago. They had their guardians and they used these links to be able to protect the priestesses. It does describe the sharing of emotions while using the link but the level of sharing was described to be linked to the closeness between the people linked. But I do give you my word that I can remove the link at any time without any negative results. So, if you ever find the situation to become less than ideal the link can be removed without trouble.”

As I sat there I took my time to think the whole thing over. It did sound like a good idea and a useful tool in my training the only drawback was the fact that he would be able to feel my emotions. Sure, I knew I was being hypocritical seeing as I was doing the same thing all the time but for the first time since getting this gift I felt the responsibility behind it.

“What are you thinking?” Loki asked.

“I just realized how intrusive feeling other people's emotions must be for the other person. I know I can feel other people’s emotions I just never thought about the other side. How people would feel if they knew I could feel them.” I admitted.

I could see on Loki’s face that this was not what he had imagined I was thinking about. But I saw understanding dawn in his eyes. “That was one of the reasons my mother thought it would be for the best if people did not know you are an empath. In the past there have been empaths but people shied away from them because they were afraid of having all their secrets exposed. For some reason any sort of power above the norm seems to frighten the norm and isolate the person. It also did not help that the empath in question had a tendency to tease people with their emotions.”

This made me think about it even more. I would never tease or use this knowledge against people. It was hard to think a person would do that to the most private things a person felt. But it was a source of power. I just disliked that this empath had used it for his own amusement. Suddenly I was pulled back to Loki and how this must be for him as he had told me he was a very private person.

“Loki I know we just talked about this but are you sure you’re ok with how much I feel when I’m in your proximity? Especially when I touch you?”

Loki took a moment to think before he answered my question. “To be honest it’s strange. I have been so accustomed to people reacting to how I present myself that it’s strange that I am not able to fool you. Because you can feel what is underneath of what I try to project. But on the other side it’s strangely good to have someone understand how you feel without having to tell them. It keeps me honest towards you and that is something I do need. Like I said I want this friendship to work so it’s good that you keep me honest.” He grinned. “And believe me that is not a word other people would use to describe me.”

I could feel the truth of his words and I could not help but laugh at his joke. Which helped me come to a decision. If he could live with my intrusions I could not help but entrust him with the same.

“I think I want to give this rune thing a go.” I said as I gave him a smile. “I see it as the most sensible tool for us to work together and if you can live with me feeling your emotions all the time I think I can live with you feeling mine while we talk.” I could see Loki’s eyes light up as I said this. “Also I kind of like the idea of me having my own personal guardian.” I teased. “Having seen you today at the training yard I could not have a more intimidating guardian.”

This earning me a full out laugh from Loki as he knelt in front of me in a formal position. “I promise you Aurora I will protect you to the best of my abilities as your guardian.”

This making both of us burst out with laughter.

The next hour was used by Loki to re-read the chapters of the rune spell. The text in the book was in Old Norse but he translated most of it so I knew what the books said. The only discussion left to have before he could continue was the placing of the rune. While it would be invisible to other people it still would be visible to us. It was a beautiful symbol and it did not need to be very big. He explained to me that the rune itself was the representation of the word guardian. I grinned to myself as I realized it was like getting a matching tattoo. But I pushed this to the back of my mind. This was so he could help me study in safety nothing more.

Seeing as we both had long hair we settled on the base of the skull. Our hair would cover the mark and it was an easy place to reach during the linking. So now that there was nothing left but to perform the spell. I was expecting myself to become nervous. But I was glad to see that I wasn’t. Sure, I was excited about getting to do another magic spell but I knew I could trust Loki.

Loki threw two soft pillows in the middle of the room and for the last time made sure I knew what would happen and what I had to do and say during the ritual.

We sat on the pillows facing each other with our knees touching.

“It’s still not too late to change your mind.” Loki said very seriously and I loved the fact that he did his best to make sure I was sure.

“I’m not worried Loki. I want to do this.” Was the only reply he got as I gave him a reassuring smile.

The light in the room dimmed and we placed or left hands in front of us and laced our fingers together. Our right hands were placed on the back of each other’s neck where the marks would appear. We moved closer towards each other till our foreheads were touching and I could feel Loki’s calm wash over me. We sat there calming ourselves before Loki began the vows that were needed before we would cast the spell. Loki had explained that in the old days this normally would be done with a grand ceremony. He told me the vows were not needed for the spell but he thought it best to just do them anyway.  The vows had been there because not every guardian was magical so the vows were there so a non-magical guardian could also link to a priestess.

“I Loki vow to protect and guard you Aurora to the best of my abilities. I will keep you safe and look out for you for as long as you will have my service.”

It was now time for me to respond to his vow.

“I Aurora accept your vow Loki. I will have you guard me to the best of your abilities and in return I will do my best to keep you safe and cherish your vow for as long as I have your service.”

Loki gave my hand a soft squeeze to indicate the next step and as one we said the incantation aloud. I could feel a warmth start in my chest and flow through me. It went through my hands and into Loki and I could feel warmth coming from his hands and flowing into mine. The whole sensation left me dizzy as I saw his hand in front of me glow an emerald green as my hand was a teal color. Where our hands touched the colors mixed and turned into a rich blue/green color. I felt warmth in the back of my neck where Loki’s hand was placed and I could feel my hand warm his neck. Before I could adjust to anymore sensations there was a burst of warmth and magic between us and the glow softly faded away till everything was normal again.

As we sat there still resting our foreheads together I tried catching my breath. I could see Loki also breathing hard and I thought he would almost be able to hear my heart beat in my chest. Suddenly there was a slight tingle at the back of my neck and then I heard his voice in my head.

_“Aurora can you hear me?”_

I pulled my head back from his so I could look him in the eye and I nodded. A smile crept on his face. As he removed his hands from mine he sat back a bit so we were no longer touching.

 _“Try to focus on me and then see if you can say something back_.” his voice rang in my head.

I sat back and took a deep breath. I could still feel a soft hum from the magic when I thought of Loki.

_“And? Is this working?”_

I could see from the smile crossing his face it was.

 _“Yes it seems that it is.”_ Was the instant reply I got.

 _“And how do I feel?”_  I was curious how he would experience feeling me.

 _“It’s very strange.”_  Was his reply. I could already feel that he was very curious and excited that the spell worked. But he tried to explain more.

_“It’s like I feel myself but when communicating I can feel more and I know you are the source. I can feel you are excited and a bit overwhelmed by the magic we just performed. I can feel you are tired and a bit dizzy at the same time.”_

All that he said was true and I just smiled. But I could also feel a slight worry come from him.

 _“You know I can feel that.”_  I said through the bond _. “What’s wrong?”_

Loki shook his head slightly.  _“Nothing is wrong. But you heard what I read from the book. The vows were mostly ceremonial and the spell was to create the mark. But I know you also felt and saw our Seidr glow and connect. I am just wondering why there was no mention of this in the book. Usually they are very precise in cataloging all the results of the spell. Also, as I just described how you feel it’s actually more than I expected to feel. Not that it’s bad but the extent of what I should feel from you should be linked with our bond. It seems that our bond is quite strong. As I seemed to get a lot of detail in what I feel from you.”_

It was Loki who then used his voice to talk. “I can feel you are very tired and to be honest the spell also took more of my magic than I anticipated. I did not think it was a very intense spell when I read it in the book. But after what we just experienced it seems that I might have been wrong about that. So, I think it would be wise for us to talk like this again. I do not want you to end up in the healing ward after your first lessons. I think my mother would kill me if that happened.”

We took a few moments and experimented with the privacy lock on the link. But it was fairly simple. You would just think about turning it off and the flow of magic would stop towards the rune. When deactivated Loki could not contact me and I could not contact Loki. It would feel like talking to a wall. We felt that when we actively thought about activating the rune the other one could feel it by receiving a small tingle on the back of their neck. Alerting them that the other one had activated it again. It was the same tingle I would get before Loki would speak to me. I was glad there was a little tell so he would not scare me anytime I would hear his voice.

The last thing I wanted to do is see the mark. “Loki can I see your mark? I’m curious how it looks.”

He took my hand and walked me towards the small sofa and motioned so I would sit. As I sat down he sat in front of me on the ground with his back towards me. He moved his chin towards his chest so I could easily inspect his neck.

I moved my hands softly trough his hair moving it all to one side to reveal his neck.

“How does it look?” Loki asked curiously.

“It’s beautiful.” And it really was. “It’s the same rune as the book described but when I touch yours it seems to light up and glow a bit. It’s very funny to see.” I softly moved my fingers over the skin of his neck where the rune was. “Every time I touch the rune it lights up in a soft teal color. Just like the color that my hands were during the ceremony.”

“I wonder.” Loki said as he slowly moved his hand towards his neck. “Does it also glow when I touch it?” And as his hand touched the mark it also lighted up in the same teal color.

“Yes it does. It glows in the same teal color as when I touch it.”

Loki moved up from the floor and took a seat next to me on the couch.

“Can I see yours?” He asked almost politely and I just grinned and turned my back towards him.

His long slender fingers moved my hair over my shoulder and while he ran the tips of his fingers softly over my neck I had to fight a shiver back down. I was very ticklish on my neck and his fingers were almost driving me mad.

“Does mine also glow?” I asked trying to get my mind off his fingers.

“Indeed it does.” He said excitedly. “But it glows an emerald green. I think it means that I have a bit of your magic now stored in the rune and you have a bit of my magic in yours. That would explain the basics of how the link works and would explain the colors. As you have a bit of my magic and I have a bit of yours.”

Loki placed his hand over my mark and quickly mumbled a few words and I could feel another slight surge of magic. As I turned back I saw him repeat the action on his own mark.

“I shielded them so that other people cannot see them.” He explained. “So how did you like your first lesson?”

I could not help but laugh. “It was very interesting to say the least. But I liked it very much.” I had to suppress a yawn. I felt very tired after using so much magic for the first time.

Loki looked over the clock on the wall. “It’s four in the afternoon. If you do not mind I would suggest a nap before dinner. I do not want to explain to mother what it was we did. If she sees how tired you are she would surly know that we did more than basic magic.”

I could not help but agree. But I was way too comfortable on the couch to move.

“I have been thinking.” Loki continued. “That it would be beneficial to be able to move between this room and your own without being seen. You know that in the bookcase there is a connection between the library and this room but also a book that allows me to access my room directly. If you want I could add a book as a direct portal to your room. That way when you are tired you would not have to walk the whole palace to get back to your room. It also would enable us to train in the evening after dinner if our daily schedule would not let us train during the day. Without having the whole palace alerted of us walking to the library.”

I could see Loki almost blush a bit as he said the next words. “I would give you my word that I would not enter your room without your permission.”

I had not even thought about the fact that he would be able to use the bookcase to walk into my room whenever he wanted. I fought hard not to blush too.

“I trust you and I think it would be a good idea. Seeing as I’m very tired and I really don’t want to walk back to my room.” I added while suppressing another yawn.

“It will take me a while to form the connection to your room. Might I suggest you take a nap here on the sofa while I work on the passageway? I will wake you when it’s ready and you can return to your room.”

I just nodded as a reply. He took a pillow and placed it on one side of the sofa and motioned me to lie down. As I lied down he motioned with his hand and suddenly I was warmly wrapped in a soft green blanket and very comfortable.

Tired as I was I focused on the rune on my neck and thought  _“Thank you.”_  Knowing full well he could feel how comfortable I was.

I could feel warmth coming from him as he replied with a simple.  _“Do not mention it.”_  As he turned his attention towards the bookshelf that held the books that controllers the doorway. I tried to watch him work for a bit but I was very tired and within a few seconds I was out like a light.


	11. Chapter 11

I don’t know how long I slept but when I woke I was no longer on the sofa. I was in my own bedroom still covered in the very soft green blanket. When I looked up I saw Yara slowly move into the bedroom and she lit a small light next to the bed.

“I hope you slept well.” she said. “Prince Loki told me your lessons in seidr left you a bit tired. So, he asked me to wake you in time for dinner but let you sleep for as long as possible.”

I couldn’t help but smile a bit. Loki was being very kind and I could not help but think if people only knew this side of Loki he might be even more popular than Thor. I removed the blanket and sat upright stretching my legs. When I saw my dress I knew I had to change as it was clear that even the Asgardian fabrics crease when slept in. Also, as I looked in the mirror I saw that the braids Yara had put in my hair where gone and the comb was resting on the vanity table.

Luckily Yara was a wonder and in no time at all we had a new dress on and my hair braided the same way it was this morning. Making it look like I only changed the dress for dinner. It still was a bit early to go to the dining hall so I just sat back and talked with Yara a bit. We both were surprised when there was a quiet knock on the door. When Yara went to see who it was I was even more surprised to see it was Frigga on the other side.

“Good evening dear.” Was her warm greeting as she drew me in for a hug. “I was wondering if we could walk to dinner together. I thought it would give us some time so I could inquire after your day.”

I liked Frigga’s company so there was no objection from my side. I loved the familiar way Frigga hooked her arm in mine when we walked down the halls.

“My dear I heard a bit of alarming news today and I hope you do not mind me asking you about it.”

I looked up look and I saw and felt the worry behind her question. “What did you hear that troubles you?” I asked.

“One of my handmaidens was at the training yard this morning and she told me of a very intense looking exchange between you and the elven ambassador. She thought he might even have injured you. I do not want you to think that I am having you monitored or followed. But my handmaidens report to me on all the things they see around court. They thought it would be something I would be interested in.”

I could understand the need of information in a court like this and I could not fault the handmaiden for reporting to Frigga. I just had hoped the exchange between Prince Muriel and I had not been seen.

I placed my hand over Frigga’s. “First I don’t feel like I’m being watched. I understand the need for information and the position your handmaidens have in the court. Yes, there was an incident between Prince Muriel and I. But I don’t think he meant to harm me. He took my hand and said some mean things about Loki. I got upset and struggled against his grip causing me to bruise. In the end, he apologized and left and that was all that happened.”

I felt a bit of sadness form in Frigga.

“I know there is bad blood between Loki and the prince. I never learned why their friendship turned sour but I would not have thought him to go as far as try and scare people away from Loki.” She shook her head sadly. “They both seem to agree to ignore one another. But I find it unacceptable that you were hurt by the prince. He knows you are not full Æsir and that his grip would hurt you. I cannot imagine how he could have lost control like that. As queen I am now torn between what to do. He is the ambassador so I must give him some leniency but he knows this was unacceptable. He must suspect that if he was found out there would have to be official measures.”

I never thought about the fact that his actions might have political consequences. The prince seemed to me a well-controlled person. The emotions I did feel were only because of my gift. To any normal onlooker you would never expect him to have those kinds of deep feelings towards Loki. Loki was much like him in this way. Trying to keep a neutral appearance in place. This giving me another insight at how deep the rift between Prince Muriel and Loki must be for him to have lost control like that.

“Frigga is it possible not to take formal action against him?” This earned me a questioning look from her but I quickly added. “The only reason I got hurt anyway is because I got mad and struggled against his grip. Nevertheless I think he thought he was helping me by warning me. While I don’t like the way he did it I don’t want to put more stress between him and Loki or between the elves and the Æsir. If he indeed needs to be punished in some sort of way is there not a less formal way of putting him in his place?”

I could see Frigga think about what I said and it was fun to see the same mischievous glint Loki so often had appear behind her eyes.

“If that is what you wish it can be done. But know that if ever anything like this happens again there will be nothing I can do but to take formal action.”

I nodded my head in agreement.

She took my hand for a second to examine it and she looked at me when she did not find any marks.

I just smiled. “It was the first lesson Loki gave me. With his help I was able to heal the bruises.” I said proudly.

This earning me a big smile from Frigga. “It seems that not only are you very proficient with magic. But to my surprise my son is making quite the teacher. I never pictured him patient enough to teach. But it seems the match as teacher and student becomes you both. I am glad you two have become close friends over the past days.” She confided in a softer tone to me. “I do not know why but since the day he found you in the forest he has worried for you. For nearly two years he checked on you personally in the healing quarters. He also used a great deal of his time researching healing magic in the hopes he could help you regain consciousness. As you know my son can be difficult at times and has a hard time making friends. I am very glad he has found a friend in you and even more so that you were willing to defend him when other people would try to persuade you to drop his friendship.”

I saw and felt how much she loved Loki and my heart went out to her.

“The thing I just don’t understand is why Loki does his best to keep people out. I know with me he has to be more honest because I can sense him. But I can see the kind of man he is and I honestly think that if other people got the chance to see what I see he would be quite popular.”

At my words Frigga stopped and turned to look at me. I could see tears in her eyes as she gave me a hug. Near my ear she whispered. “I can see we have the same view when it comes to my son. I am very glad that you have found your way into our lives.”

I hugged her back and after a moment she took my arm again. We were now at the entrance of the dining hall and the servants opened the door for us. I had expected her to let go of my arm as we entered the hall but she pulled me even closer signaling for me to follow her. Instead of going to the main table she directed me down a few steps and to the other side of the hall. It took me a few seconds but I soon realized that the table she was walking towards was the one that seated Prince Muriel.

It was still early and the table was not very full but she walked to the side of the table where the prince was sitting. As we reached him I could see a confused look in his eyes as he eyed Frigga’s arm entwined with mine and I thought I saw a flash of recognition behind his eyes. I think it might have come as a shock to him to see how close I was not only to Loki but also to his mother.

He gracefully stood from his seat. “My Queen, Princess Aurora. To what do I owe this honor?” He asked in a smooth voice as he bowed deeply.

Frigga just stood straight not acknowledging his bow and I decided to follow her lead.

After a few second she replied. “Well my Prince. Aurora and I were talking today and she mentioned that in time she would like to see more of the nine realms. Seeing as I think of her as a daughter I want nothing more than for her to get her wish. I know my sons will visit your realm in a few months time and I was wondering if you would relay my wish to your father for Aurora to join them. I hope he would agree and welcome her as Odin and I have welcomed her.”

I could feel astonishment pour out of Prince Muriel and the rest of the few guests at his table. I was well aware of the power of her words. Not only did she not use Prince Muriel’s name but only called him by his title of prince. But the use of the term daughter and my first name and even referring to Odin by his first name showed how close I was to the family.

But while I could feel his astonishment he did not betray anything on the outside. His face was as serene as ever when he answered. “I would be honored to give my father your message my queen. May I ask how you wish me to contact him? If you deem this information to be sensitive and not to be sent by raven I could deliver this message to him in person if you want.”

I was amazed at the grace in which Prince Muriel spun his words and I could see a slight smile form on Frigga’s lips as she too understood his words. He was asking if he was allowed to stay after what happened. He clearly had been waiting for the repercussions of his actions earlier today.

“For now I have no reason to fear the use of a raven to transport this message.” Frigga replied with that mischievous glance back in her eyes. “But I will hold you to your offer if I find myself in a position where I need to send him more sensitive information.”

There was a slight wince on Prince Muriel’s face as the message was received. But with a deep bow he replied. “Anything for my Queen.”

Frigga now gave him a small bow and I did the same. Without anymore words, she turned us towards the main table where I saw that the only empty chairs were mine and Frigga’s. As we slowly walked to our places I could not help but look at Frigga and I saw a satisfied smile cross her face. She truly was an amazing and very powerful woman.

I gave her hand a small squeeze. “Thank you for that. I’m honored you referred to me as a daughter.”

She laughed “My dear it’s easy to use these terms when the sentiment is already there. I would not have called you that only to further some plan. But I am glad you think of this as an honor.”

By then we reached her seat and I reluctantly let go of her arm. As she took her seat I walked over to the other side of the table where like the night before the seat between Loki and Thor was held free for me. The food was as good as always and the company happy. Volstag this time amused the table with a story of one of their grand tales.

The tingle at the back of my neck alerted me before I could be startled by Loki’s voice in my head.

_“So what did you and my mother have for a reason to visit the ambassador’s table?”_

A small grin crept on my face. But I made it look like I was listening to Volstag.  _“It seems that the incident between me and the prince had been seen by one of your mother’s handmaidens. She was concerned and wanted to officially take actions against the prince.”_

I could feel by Loki’s emotions that he would have welcomed these actions.

_“She asked for my opinion and I told her that I'd rather not cause problems and if there was a way to give him more of a reprimand then an official warning.”_

I could see Loki’s brows raise in an unspoken question but there was also the well known mischief in his eyes.  _“O this is very good. Knowing the sharp tongue my mother has it must have been something.”_

I felt his humor and could not help but smile a bit. I took a moment to say a few words to the rest of the table so it would not look like Loki and I were ignoring the rest.

 _“It was as beautiful to watch as it was masterful_.” I admitted to him _. “Not only did she only use his title of prince. She kept referring to me, herself and even Odin on a first name basis. She told him she thought of me as a daughter and that I had expressed an interest to travel. It seems that you and Thor have a visit planned to the elven land and she asked if he would inform his father that I would join you.”_

I could see amusement twinkle in Loki’s eyes. But the best had yet to come.

_“He then asked how he was to convey this to his father. If the information was safe enough to be sent by raven or if he had to deliver it himself. Your mother declared that a raven would be enough. But added that she would keep him to his offer if she had more sensitive information to send his father in the future.”_

I could see Loki bite his lip to keep from laughing out loud and it took a few seconds for him to reply.

_“I can only imagine the surprise this must have been for Muriel. I think he would have preferred a formal reprimand then what my mother just put him through. But I am happy he now knows your standing in our family. But knowing how the court works it will be the gossip of the evening.”_

It was strange to think me being the reason behind the gossip but I couldn’t care less. They could gossip however they liked. The rest of the evening was fun and after dinner I lounged some more with Thor and Loki before I went to bed. I liked Thor. Yes, he was loud and had a very large ego. But he was like a huge golden retriever. Friendly to a fault and loyal to his friends.

When I finally reached my bedchamber I noticed a new small bookcase I hadn't noticed before. I instantly recognized the book marked Library and Loki. I scanned the rest of the books and saw it was filled with a few beginners books on magic. But also books of fiction and small children books that looked to be in both all speak and Norse. I took one of these out and I saw it was about the alphabet. I decided to read it before bed for a moment to see what little I could pick up of the strange Norse runes.

 


	12. Chapter 12

The next few weeks flew by at an amazing speed. I had to admit that I really liked my time in Asgard. My studies with Loki went very well and I was now progressing to the point where I no longer needed his help to clear my mind when casting simple spells. I had mastered basic spells like simple healing, manipulating the elements to do things like create fire and simple illusions. We were now working on creating and maintaining more difficult illusions. The only drawback was that while it seemed I had a lot of seidr my body was easy to tire while using magic. Loki told me this was normal and his education had taken more than 600 years before he had the stamina he had now. But part of me felt like it had more to do with me being an Æsir mix and not full Æsir. But I decided not to dwell on that fact and just do the things I could do. Still Loki took great pleasure in showing off what he could do. But I knew he liked being able to share what he could do with someone without being afraid to scare or offend them.

Today was a very quiet day. Thor and Loki had been busy with handling affairs for Odin. There was a lot of unrest in the nine realms and they deliberated a lot as to what Asgard could do to provide more stability. Also, the upcoming trip to Alfheim was now closing in and they were discussing the things to discuss with the king of Alfheim. As I understood it this trip was not to be a very delicate political meeting. Luckily it would just be a complimentary one that was long overdue. Still there were a few things Odin wanted to relay to the elven king.

But it did mean that I was spending more time on my own. I was deciding what to do with my time. Seeing as I would not have lessons today and everyone even Yara was busy. To be honest I didn’t mind some alone time. The weather outside was still very sunny even if it was a bit colder. It was autumn and the scenery was changing. So, I decided that I would grab one of my favorite warm cloaks and I would go explore the palace gardens. As I reached the garden I was glad I wore my warm cloak. It was a gorgeous deep royal blue velvet cloak with deep intricate patterns shaven into the grain of the velvet. The sides were trimmed with a very soft white fur and it had a silver clasp and large hood. It complemented my lighter blue dress I had worn today. But the reason I was glad was because of a cold wind blowing today. Most of my body was warm but I could feel my cheeks getting very cold. So I decided to put the hood up to warm my face a bit.

In the library I had found a book on natural herbs and remedies and I took great pleasure to see that there were herbs that I recognized in the garden. I plucked a little sprig of lavender so I could smell it while continuing my way in the garden. I was deep in thought when rounding a corner of a hedge and bumped into someone. I was almost knocked off my feet but luckily the reflexes of the stranger saved me from falling backwards. As I looked up I saw a familiar elven face staring back at me in concern and I could not help but blush a bit.

"Princes Aurora are you alright? I hope I did not hurt you." His concerned voice asked.

I took a deep breath and moved out of his arms that were still holding me upright.

"I'm fine Prince Muriel. I wasn’t watching where I was going. To my defense you move as stealthily as a cat so it was not like I could hear you coming around the corner." I Joked.

I could see a small smile form on his lips as he contemplated my comment about his cat like movement. Prince Muriel and I had talked a few times in the last few weeks so it was not as awkward as it had been. But still I found it weird to talk with someone who I knew had a problem with Loki. But the prince had been wise enough not to bring up that subject in the last weeks.

"I think you find it's not that I move very stealthily." He replied with a smug look on his face. "It's just that you being around people like Thor have made you lose the ability to hear anything else."

I could not help but laugh loudly at this. While I greatly enjoyed Thor's company he was indeed very loud. As were the warriors three and the rest of the soldiers, especially when they had a few to drink. I always wondered if Loki was more like them before he went to live in Alfheim. For I noticed certain eleven traits in Loki’s behavior. I thought Loki resembled a mix between Asgardian and Elven. It showed in how he spoke and walked. There were a lot of similarities between him and Prince Muriel.

"But what brings you out into the gardens today?" Prince Muriel asked.

I slowly started to walk again and I found that the prince moved with me so he could walk besides me.

"I just wanted to see more of the plants and creatures in the garden." I confessed. "It’s a bit colder than I anticipated but the garden looks amazing. I love the change in the colors of the plants now that it’s nearing autumn. Everything slowly turning more yellow and orange. These colors even more beautiful on a sunny day like this."

I looked over to see how he would respond to this because I felt a sort of longing coming from him.

"Yes, the different seasons brings very beautiful changes with it. I must say I was also in the garden to witness this. I have been from my home a long time and I tend to miss the nature and forest of my homeland." He replied and I could hear the longing in his voice.

As we slowly walked I suddenly realized that I knew very little about the life or world of the elves. But my thoughts were interrupted by his next question.

"Do you miss your homeland and your family?"

It was a weird question because I had never actively lied before about my situation. Asgardians didn’t care for Midgard and almost never asked about my life back there. But I tried to stick to the truth as much as I could.

"I have not been in Asgard for a long time. But what I miss most is the not knowing. You can be so oblivious to how important things are when you have them. Then when they are gone you suddenly realize that they were important to you." I confessed.

I could see it was not the answer he expected but he seemed to contemplate my words nonetheless.

"I agree." He finally said. "While growing up I did enjoy the nature and forest of my home country. But now being away from them for a long time it’s sometimes like I yearn to walk the forests once more. My relationship with my family is complicated. I loved my mother dearly but she passed away a long time ago and my father and I are on more formal terms. So, it was an easy decision in my mind to take the ambassador function here at court. But the forests I miss dearly. The ones in Alfheim are just so different from those in Asgard."

I never had this long a conversation with Prince Muriel and never did I feel this much emotion from him. It was like seeing another side of him and I found myself not minding his company. We reached the end of the garden where there was a beautiful clearing and a little bench in a sunny spot. I decided to sit down for a bit. I could see hesitation in Prince Muriel's movement so I motioned with my hand that he was free to sit next to me if he wanted. With a small bow he did.

"As you know I will travel to Alfheim soon. Are it’s court and it’s manners or customs very different from Asgard?" I asked out of genuine curiosity.

There was a small pause as he seemed to collect his thoughts.

"The court of my father is a treacherous one." He started. "He and my people pride their selves on their ancient rules and traditions making them very polite but also very rigid. While my people have the same vices as others they do their utmost to maintain the appearance of being calm and collected. I hope you do not mind it if I warn you that it's of the utmost importance to keep up appearances at my father’s court. Be overly polite and formal and there should not be a problem. I should add..." With that he paused looking at me warily. "Please do not be offended when I say this. But also be overly formal with the princes. Even mere gestures seen as friendship by the Asgardians are a reason for speculation at my father’s court. For example, the only touching between a male and female at an elven court should be if the male is escorting the female formally. Then they can place the females hand on theirs but no more. Any more limbs touching is deemed inappropriate. While they understand Asgard maintains a looser set of rules they do love to gossip behind ones back. Most of the time Thor and even Loki are extra careful with what they do because they are princes. But there has been quite some nasty gossip about their familiarity with Lady Sif to give you an example. I would not like to see that happen to you."

I nodded "Thank you for your advice Prince Muriel. This is exactly the kind of information I need to know before my travels. I do want to ask you another question. But I understand if it's to personal so please don't feel obligated to answer if you don't want to. But why do you say your father’s court is treacherous? As I can see why it would be different I fail to see why you would use that word."

He looked at me for a moment before he answered. "It seems you have a knack for picking up when people mean more with their words then they should say. I will explain but I hope you will not hold my candor against me.”

I just nodded reassuring him he could continue.

“In the eyes of the people my father is a loving king. Deeply devoted to his late wife and his one son. At court this is the public opinion of my people and they love him dearly for it. His devotion to my late mother is a source of great stories. But what most people do not know is that my father has many female bed partners. Not just now but also when my mother was still alive. Not only does he treat them very poorly behind closed doors he also treated my mother and sometimes even myself with contempt. He sees himself as the most important man in his world and other people should serve him as he pleases. He takes great lengths to keep his reputation intact and even encouraged me to use woman the same way. I just had to make sure my dealings would never ruin mine or his reputation. There was an incident in my youth where a romance of mine became public knowledge. As you can imagine there was a great scandal at court. I was severely punished but in the end forgiven as I was the prince. When I tried to find out what happened to my bed partner there was no trace of her. Even her parents claimed they did not know of her and to this day I do not know if she is alive or dead. This causing a large rift and my alienation from my father. It was also the reason that after a few years I accepted my placement in Asgard.”

I was amazed that prince Muriel had confided this in me. I could feel deep sadness from him over the fate that had befallen the girl. I could feel that he felt deeply responsible for what had happened to her.

“Thank you for trusting me with this information. It gives me further insight into the elven court and its darker sides. It does puzzle me that you chose to tell me this though. As I can imagine it's very personal for you and not something you would share on such a short acquaintance like ours.” I said as I looked at him trying to figure him out.

He looked me right in the eyes and slowly and very gently lifted my hand in his. This time he held it with an open hand so I could pull away at any time.

“Princess Aurora think of it as my way of apologizing for the horrible way I approached you with my concerns about Loki. Not only was the subject something I should have never broached with a friend of his. I also know I physically hurt you when you tried to pull your hand away. It left me deeply troubled and I told myself that if I would have a chance I would try and earn your friendship to make up for it. Therefore I want to give you as much of an insight as I can provide.” He raised my hand to his lips and placed a soft kiss on it before gently placing my hand back on my lap.

I just looked at him with amazement because I could feel the sincerity in his words as he said them. He indeed felt ashamed and also vulnerable at the moment.

I gave him a small smile. “As long as we both are clear on my friendship with Loki and you promise not to interfere or cause trouble for me or him I accept your apology.” I looked at him to see his reaction.

He was clearly relieved and I saw an uncharacteristicly large smile cross his face making him even more handsome than a man had a right to be. As I often also felt about Loki when he smiled that way. I could not help but like Prince Muriel. As long as he would cause no trouble with Loki things would be fine. It surely could not hurt to have another friend.

“You have my word Princess Aurora.” He responded.

So, with a smile of my own I added. “Would you do me the pleasure of calling me Aurora? It seems wrong for us to have spoken of such heavy things as just acquaintances. They're more subjects to be shared among friends and I hope we can be friends.”

I felt a flash of surprise and then a surge of warmth from him as my words registered.

“It would be my honor Aurora and I hope you will return the favor of using my name in return.” He said kindly.

Before I could reply there was a cold gust of wind and I could not help but shiver.

Instantly Muriel stood and offered me his arm. “Would you allow me to walk you back to the palace? I think it would be wise to get you warmed before any could claim I made you freeze to your death. I think the queen would actually demand my life if anything were to happen to you on my watch.”

I laughed as I stood and took his arm. “If I do get sick I will make sure not to blame you. So, your life is safe.”  I said dramatically as a joke. “But I do agree with you she loves her family and I’m very grateful she feels warmly towards me. If someone would harm them on purpose all bets would be off.”

It was close to lunchtime when we arrived back at the palace and Muriel insisted he would get me something warm to eat. He added that he wanted to make sure he would not befall a premature demise. We both laughed again at his joke. He placed me at a small table in the dining hall and went off to get me something to eat. It was not long before he returned with two steaming bowls of what seemed to be some kind of soup and some drinks.

“If you do not mind I have taken the liberty of choosing an elven dish. Seeing as you are going to my home country I thought I would introduce you to it's cuisine.” He placed the bowl in front of me accompanied with a glass of what seemed to be wine. “I also thought a bit of wine would help vanquish the cold.” he said with a smile.

I had not had a lot of alcoholic drinks in Asgard as I found out early on that the alcohol content was quite high. But one cup of wine should not be a problem. He looked at me expectantly when I picked up my spoon and gently lowered it into the steaming bowl. It took a few moments for it to cool on my spoon as I was in no rush to burn my mouth. But when the soup reached my tastebuds my eyes widened in surprise. It was heavenly and very rich of flavor. The contrast very different from the Asgardian food which seemed to mostly consist out of very large chunks of meat.

I looked at Muriel and smiled. “It’s delicious. If this is the way your people’s food tastes I think I should bring a seamstress on my visit to let out my dresses. I might turn into Volstag.” I grinned

Muriel let out a laugh that I still found uncharacteristic for him but liked the change in his posture now that we were friends.

“While I do not think it’s possible for you to ever resemble Volstag I can assure you that elven food is very low in calories.” He said in between his laugh and eating his own bowl. “So you do not have to worry about that. Though I cannot imagine any change to you that could make you less attractive. Some people are not just beautiful on the outside but like you are made even more so because of what is on the inside.”

I focused hard on my soup as his words registered and my stomach did an almost full twist. I could feel a blush form on my cheeks but was interrupted by a loud person entering the dining hall. When I looked up I saw Loki and Thor walk into the hall and I could see Muriel had spotted them too. I saw they notice me too and they walked over. Loki’s eyebrow slightly raised as he saw who I was sharing a meal with.

Before they were near enough I heard Muriel softly speak. “If you wish me to leave you before they get here just let me know.”

His words surprised me and I looked up and shook my head. “I don’t want you to leave. If you keep your word and not cause problems when Loki is around, then there is no reason for you to leave. The only reason for you to leave is if you want to. I promise you I will also say this to Loki. I will not have him creating troubles just because he sees me in your company.”

There was a deep feeling of gratitude emanating from Muriel but before he could say anything Thor and Loki had reached our table. It was Thor’s usual booming greeting that welcomed us.

“Aurora, Prince Muriel what a surprise to find you here. My brother and I were just about to see if we could get a plate of food. Do you mind if we join you?” He asked as friendly as ever.

I could not help but smile. “Of course, I don’t mind please do join us.”

With a loud crack of a chair Thor placed himself next to Muriel as Loki took a seat next to me. I was glad Thor was here because I could feel the tension rise at the table with Loki and Muriel both silent. Thankfully Thor was oblivious to this and just continued on like normal.

“What is it you are eating?” Thor asked as he looked at my bowl of soup like it was an alien artifact.

I decided to bite the bullet on this situation as I answered. “Muriel introduced me to an elven dish to see if it agrees with me. He thought I might as well taste the elven cuisine since I will be visiting the elven world soon."

I could feel the surprise from all of them that I used his first name. Even Muriel looked surprised like he thought I would not address him like that in front of others even though it was now totally acceptable. I think he had expected me to keep our friendship a secret.

Thor looked over to the elf. “It’s kind of you Prince Muriel to look after Aurora this way. I can imagine she has a lot of questions about your people and who better to ask them to.”

I could see Muriel smile at this. “Yes she is very curious and I must say I really like her company and do not mind her questions. But I would be honored if you would call me Muriel. Seeing as I hope we are amidst friends and it would be foolish to have to use titles.”

While Thor laughed loudly, nodded and then clapped his big hand over Muriel’s shoulder in agreement I could feel Loki tense. While I was amazed that Muriel did not even seem to be fazed by Thor’s slap the next words out the mouth of the elf were even more surprising.

“Would you and Loki also care for some soup?” He asked. “The kitchen makes these elven dishes especially for me but I am sure there is enough to go around. I could get us some more seeing as Aurora practically inhaled her soup and I get the feeling she would like a second serving.”

A blush crept over my face that seemed to make Muriel smile. He was right I loved the soup and would not mind a second one. Thor declined Muriel’s offer claiming he would walk with him towards the kitchen to get a plate of meat.

With that Muriel’s gaze shifted towards Loki. “Loki can I get you a bowl or do you want some meat like your brother?”

If I thought Loki had been tense before he now went totally ridged. Although you would not be able to tell by just looking at him. I moved my hand under the table and softly gave his hand a squeeze. It seemed to do the trick of getting him to focus on what Muriel had said as I could feel him unwind just a bit.

“If it would not be too much trouble I would love a bowl.” He replied. Then with a slight hesitant voice he added. “Thank you Muriel.”

Muriel nodded and he and Thor rose from the table as one to go to the kitchen.

There was a soft tingle on my neck followed by Loki’s voice.  _“What in the whole nine realms just happened?”_  he asked and I could feel he was confused.

I squeezed his hand again softly.  _“Muriel and I walked into each other today when I was walking in the garden. After talking with him I found him to be genuinely apologetic about what happened at the training yard. Not only that but he gave me some very deep insights into the elven courts and when I had further questions told me some very personal things about himself, his father and their relationship. I could feel his emotions behind his words they were genuine. So, I proposed a friendship. But with the exception that he was never to cause any trouble between you and I. I think this is his way of trying to keep that promise. I can feel he’s still very tense when it comes to you. But I don’t feel his coldness when you are in his presence like before.”_

It seemed like Loki unwound a bit more and below the table he now took my hand in his.  _“It’s that I know you Aurora and know you would never do that. But if you were any other I might suspect you of using magic to achieve what you have achieved today. I know I will never get my friendship back with Muriel the way it was and to be honest I do not know if I would want that. But for us to be on a first name basis again was something I could never imagine happening in my lifetime.”_

The thought of me using magic to make people like me or each other did spook me a bit. “ _Loki you don’t think I might be using magic unconsciously do you? Like with the books? I would never want to rob anyone of their free will. I don’t know how my magic works or what I’m capable of.”_

Loki’s fingers reassuringly traced little patterns on the back of my hand.  _“Do not worry Aurora. As you know I am able to sense your magic and I assure you if that would be the case I would see or feel the effects of your magic on Muriel if not on myself.”_

I knew Loki could feel my relief wash over me and I saw Muriel and Thor returning.

When all four of us sat with food in front of us it was Loki who started the conversation again. “It seems that in our travels to Alfheim the warriors three and Sif will accompany us. With the use of the bifrost the trip only takes a few hours.”  He looked at Thor and then back at me. “But they suggested that it would pleasure them to leave a few days before so they can travel to Alfheim by horse. This would take about three days in total and they love the idea of camping in the open air and do a bit of hunting on the way. It was Sif who suggested that I would ask you if you wanted to go with us.”

Thor looked up from his plate with a puppy dog look on his face and added. “Please Aurora do come with us. It would be our first adventure together and who knows, maybe we can tell tales about it later.”

I could not help but grin liking the idea of having sometime outside the palace with the group. But I did have some reservations so I turned to Loki. “Please don’t think me stupid but I have a few questions.”

Loki just smiled and nodded. “Aurora the day you do not have a question is not a day I look forward to.” Even Muriel laughed at that.

“Ok.” I continued smiling at his joke. “I don’t know the weather in Alfheim but sleeping out in the open won’t that be very cold?”

“That is why we have blankets and if needed I can spell them with warming wards.” Was Loki’s reply.

I nodded but still had another question. “Secondly I don’t know how to ride a horse. I don’t even have a horse. Although I think I could maybe loan one from the stables.”

Again, Loki had an immediate reply as if he already thought about it all. “We still have some time before we need to leave. I will promise you that starting tomorrow I will give you riding lessons. Also, it’s fitting for a princess to have her own horse. We will get you your own horse as a princess does not loan one.”

I wanted to protest about the fact that maybe I wouldn’t be ready in time but Loki cut me off. “Even if you do not learn to ride a horse by the time we need to leave you can always ride with me or any other in our group. You will not be a burden and we would love to have you along with us.”

Loki knew exactly what to say and I could not help but smile. Knowing full well that there were no more concerns for me to utter.

“In that case I would love to go on this adventure with you.” Earning me a smile from Loki and almost a celebratory howl from Thor.

It was Muriel who spoke next. “I do not want to interfere but might I suggest that if you have not considered this she will also need some new types of clothing. Also, spelled for the cold as the weather in Alfheim will be colder and she is more affected by the temperature.”

Loki looked at him and nodded. “Thank you Muriel that is something I had not yet thought of. I will let my mother know and she will make the necessary arrangements.”

Muriel smiled at Loki and added to me. “If you want Aurora I could also talk to the queen about a few new dresses for when you are at my father’s court. I know he secretly distastes the more revealing Asgardian dresses that are in fashion. I think you would most surely charm him if you would wear something more elven in design. Not that there is anything wrong with the Asgardian dresses but as you might remember from our talk. He is stuck in his way and with his superiority complex he would see it as you complementing him. For a man as vain as my father a compliment goes a long way.”

I could not help but laugh at Muriel’s slyness. “Thank you Muriel I would love any help you can offer for my trip to Alfheim. If I speak to the queen before you do. I will be sure to ask her if it’s possible to get a few new dresses and to enlist your help in designing them.”

Earning me a smile from him. We sat there for a few more moments eating when Muriel excused himself. He had things to do and wished us the best of luck on our preparations for the trip. Thor excused himself a while later as he had promised Sif and the warriors three a few rounds of sparring leaving just me and Loki.

“So any idea what we can do this afternoon?” I asked him. “Of course if you don’t have anything planned.” I quickly added.

“Well.” Loki drawled as he looked at me. “It seems I have promised a princess I know that I would get her a horse. I recall that today at the stables there is a horse merchant showing his wares hoping to sell some. I thought we could go and see if there is an animal amongst them that you like.”

I was instantly enthusiastic. The short time I had been on a horse with Loki had been fun and I loved the way those magnificent animals looked. I felt almost as giddy as Thor could be at times.

“Really?” I exclaimed. “Can we go now?” I made the motion to grab my cloak that was draped across the chair next to me.

This causing Loki to chuckle. “Oh Aurora it’s so fun and refreshing to see a person get so excited by something as simple as going to look at a horse.” He laughed. “Yes we can go now.” And with that he stood and took my cloak from me to gently place it on my shoulders and clasp it back up.

As we walked the palace he made a show of waving his hand and with a flash he was also wearing a cloak.

“This will also be something we will practice before we leave.” He added while we kept walking. “I can only imagine that when on the road with 5 men you might want to be able to switch clothes with a flick of your hand.”

I blinked a few times as I looked into his mischievous eyes while trying not to blush. I was determined not to let him win with his teasing.

“Only if you promise to also teach me that magical shower thing you did in the yard.” I replied trying to look very calm. “Because if you think me changing my clothes might be too difficult for you men to bear then I don’t want o even think about what would happen if I would wash myself before going to sleep.”

This earned a full out roaring laugh from Loki. If I thought Muriel was handsome earlier it would pale with how handsome Loki was when he was carefree and laughing.

In a near hiccup from laughing he replied. “I agree. I do not think we should torment Fandral with such images. He has problems enough keeping away from you as it is.” He grinned. “It’s because Sif threatened him with dismemberment of a certain part if he would overly pursue you or make you uncomfortable that has kept him away this long.”

My eyes grew wide as Loki confessed this and I joined him in his laughter.

“I guess I owe Sif a major thank you tonight.” I chuckled. “If the last few days are his version of keeping away. Then I shudder to think about what his normal moves would be.”

Loki nodded his head in agreement. “I for one have been glad that Fandral’s heart is solely reserved for the ladies. I cannot imagine what it would be like to have him pursue me if the roles were reversed. A poor woman is surly doomed if he takes a fancy to her. Yet you would be amazed how many still fall for him.”

In that instance, I tried to think of Fandral coming on to Loki and went off in an even bigger fit of laughter. I was laughing so hard I had to rest against the wall to catch my breath.

“I would actually love to see Fandral harassing you.” I said snickering and trying to catch my breath. “I don’t know what would be funnier. Your face if he did that. Or the tricks you would pull to get him of your back.”

This made Loki laugh as well. “Let us just hope we will never find out.” He grinned. “For I would sooner make his life a living hell with my tricks then succumb to his charms.”

Loki led me to the back part of the stables where there were quite a few people fussing around. In a large paddock there were lines and lines of horses displayed. Loki explained that I not only should look at how pretty a horse was but most of all that I should touch it and talk to it and see how he or she felt and reacted towards me. As he went to find the merchant to get his opinion he motioned me to go and wander around.

It was a sight to behold, all the horses saddled with beautiful saddles and their fur combed till it shined. I saw a beautiful chestnut colored horse but as soon as I came near she appeared nervous and out of sorts. Taking Loki’s advice about looking further than outside appearance I moved on.

There were loads of beautiful and very friendly horses and I had selected a few I liked so I could talk to Loki about them. As I walked around having almost seen all the horses my eyes were drawn to a beast of a horse near the back. It most certainly must be male I thought as it nearly stood a good 30cm above the rest of the horses. It was a beautiful black horse with not a spec or imperfection in his black coat He had a long wavy mane that nearly reached the ground and he looked so beautiful it took my breath away. He was not saddled like the rest and a good deal further from the other horses. Like he had been put in the back and away from them for a reason. The animal was watching me and I could not help but be drawn towards the horse.

As I approached him I stood still a good meter away. Just looking at him and letting him look at me. It was strange but I got the definite feeling like the horse was checking me out just as much as I was checking him out. When he lowered his head, and moved his nose in my direction sniffing I took a few steps closer. I knew that I had to look at the ears to see how they reacted but he was calm and his ears were actively pointed towards me. I raised my hand and let him sniff me and after a few moments I laid my hand on his soft nose. I petted him and I felt this calm feeling roll off him as he moved closer to me so I could pet more of his head and neck.

I turned when I heard a sound behind me and saw Loki walking towards us. The horse looked over to him but he did not seem to mind him at all placing his head in the crook of my neck demanding I would turn back to him and pay him more attention which I did. I petted him and loved the feeling of his mane and soft fur beneath my hands. I could feel him enjoying my attention as he gently rubbed his head against me.

Suddenly the whole-body language of the horse changed. His ears went down and with his head he tried to gently move me behind him. I felt hostility roll of him but I knew it was not directed at me. I looked up and I could see Loki had seen the change in the horse too. He was looking between me and the horse to see if he needed to get me away from him. But was momentarily distracted as someone was calling him.

“My Prince.” A man now walking up shouted. The sound of the man’s voice seemingly making the horse even more nervous.

“My Prince there you are.” And stopped next to Loki and he looked over towards where I was standing. “I wanted to caution you and this lovely woman as this stallion is not broken yet and is a devil of a beast. While I am certain I can break him and with time train him properly he is not ready yet and I would hate to see any harm come to this lovely woman.”

It was clear that he did not want to get closer to the stallion as he called him and it was clear the stallion had a mutual feeling about that. I softly scratched him on his neck and stepped away from him to walk over where Loki and the man were standing.

“Master Renfield please allow me to introduce to you the Princess Aurora.” Loki introduced.

Master Renfield bowed deeply as he nearly groveled the words “It’s an honor to make your acquaintance princess.”

I nodded my head to him in acknowledgement. I don’t know why but I got this weird feeling when near the man. At shiver rolled down my spine. I don’t know why but between how Master Rendfield felt and the horse’s reaction I did not like him.

“Princess can I take the liberty of showing you some very exquisite and gentle horses? The prince informed me you have no previous experience in riding and I know a lovely chestnut mare that would be excellent for you if I may say so myself.” And he motioned towards the chestnut one I had seen earlier.

“I’m sorry Master Renfield.” I said with a fake smile trying to be polite. “But I don’t think she is what I want in a horse. She made it very clear that she didn’t enjoy my company.” I looked back at the beautiful black stallion and he was still watching me with those intelligent eyes.

I could feel disdain ooze off Renfield. It was clear that I was challenging him and he was not liking it.

I focused my mind on Loki and I could feel our connection _. “Loki I really get the creeps from this man.”_ And I tried to let him feel what I was feeling coming of Renfield.

His reply was almost instant.  _“I do not envy your ability Aurora. What I could gather through our bond is enough to make my hair stand on end. Shall we leave? We do not have to buy a horse from him. There are also tradesmen in town we can go to.”_

I looked back at the stallion and I suddenly just knew I had made up my mind.  _“I do want to leave. But I have this strange feeling or connection with the black stallion. Please don’t think me crazy but I really think that he’s the one I want.”_

Loki crooked one eyebrow as he looked at the stallion once more.

 _“Are you sure?”_  he asked  _“He is a magnificent horse for sure but he looks very agitated and you heard he is not fully trained yet.”_

 _“I’m as sure as I can be.”_  I replied _. “He was lovely and calm before Renfield came along and I felt an actual connection towards him with my gift. It was when Renfield approached that he turned agitated. Even then I could feel he was kind towards me, almost as if he wanted to protect me from Renfield._

Loki just gave me a wink and he turned back to Master Renfield. “I think what the princess means to say is that like herself she likes a bit of temperament in her horse. Seeing as I want to make her happy I hope you and I can help her get what she wants.”

It was almost nauseating to see Master Renfield grovel before Loki in agreement.

“Then I have made up my mind.” I said to them both. “I would like him.” With that I pointed towards the black stallion behind me. I could feel anger now wave off Master Renfield. But his voice just as slimy as before washed over me.

“Like I said my Princess that horse is too dangerous and not suited for your needs. I am sure he would be perfect once broken but as he is now he is unsuitable to be sold. Even then he is one of my most prime specimens it would be a very expensive stallion for a Midgardian princess such as yourself.”

I had to stop myself from blinking and worse I had to stop myself from using my magic to set his coat on fire. I had known very well what he meant when referring to me as a Midgardian princess and Frigga’s words of how Æsir looked down on mere mortals still lingered back in my head.

“Well in that case I think we’re done here.” I said in the coolest voice I could manage. “It would have been nice to have my own horse for when I would travel to Alfheim to continue my studies in Seidr.” With that simple sentence I could see his eyes widen as his mistake about my parentage came to light. But still I continued. “But I don’t think I can do business with someone who would insult the Prince of Asgard about his wealth when he wants to buy me a present.”

I waved my hand dismissively towards him and reached for Loki’s arm turning away from Master Renfield.

It took but the whole of a micro second for Master Renfield to get to grips with what just happened and scurry in front of us blocking our paths. Deep in a bow he fell before us. “My most humble apologies to your royal highnesses. For I never intended to even suggest or insult.”

I knew he was full of shit. Because I believed he never meant any to Loki but he surely meant one to me. Loki was awfully quiet but I could feel he was thoroughly enjoying the spectacle I was creating. I just looked at Renfield like he was beneath me not giving him the satisfaction of a reply.

But he was determined and continued. “I am sure the prince and I can come to an understanding. I see now that I was mistaken and humbly ask your forgiveness. I would be more than willing to part with that magnificent animal. Like I said he is very valuable and has amazing use in breeding making him even more valuable.”

It was Loki who responded. “While I can see the truths in your words I cannot help but fear that this whole ordeal has lessened the appeal of the stallion for the princess.”

I replied immediately before Renfield could recover. “Not only this stallion but all of the horses. I find it has tainted my experience and cannot see how one stallion can be valuable one second when not merely five minutes before he was categorized as untamed and having a devils character. I fear I'd rather sample other horses.” I turned to Loki. “There must be other merchants we could inquire after, right?” I asked him playing a dimwitted princess.

But Loki took my bait as if he was following a script. “Yes of course there are. But I think I have an even better idea. Why not wait with buying you a horse till we're in Alfheim. They have magnificent animals there that would be perfect for you.”

I almost felt poorly for Master Renfield as his eyes nearly rolled out of his eye sockets and with a stutter in his voice protested. “My Prince I am sure there is no need. If my Princess would allow me a small moment of the prince’s time I am sure we can sort this out in no time.”

I looked at him and turned to Loki. Who placed a small kiss on my hand and then gestured towards the stables. I winked at him and without saying goodbye walked away. But not before I shot Loki the message through our link that I hoped he would make Renfield’s life as difficult as possible in the next negotiations.

They only reply I received back from Loki was. “ _Your wish is my command.”_

It took about 10 minutes before I saw Loki walk towards the stables with a huge smile on his face. I was sitting on a small bench in a private spot next to the stables. The wind had died down a bit so I just sat and enjoyed the sun as he took his seat next to me.

“You know you can be quite evil.” He said to me. “I am actually quite impressed.” He added with a small laugh.

I could not help but get a tiny bit offended. “I’m sorry but the guy is a total asshat and a slime and you know he insulted me first not the other way around.” I started to defend myself. But Loki just laughed and put his arm around me and pulled me in for a hug.

“It was a compliment Aurora. I am the god of lies and mischief but also of chaos and I thoroughly enjoyed this.” He laughed out loud and made me blush again. He left his arm around my shoulders as he softly rubbed my arm up and down

“You made it very easy for me to seal a deal. Not only did I get you the stallion you wanted I also got him for a third of the price and I made him throw in the most expensive and comfortable riding gear he had. That and I have not had this much fun in quite a while.” He said with a big smile. “Now let's go see my mother regarding your clothes. As soon as you have some riding gear I will take you out and teach you how to ride. And you should start thinking about a name for your stallion.”

I smiled at Loki because I loved the way he could be so childishly happy just because he got to partake in some mischief.

“I kind of know what I want to call him but I’m afraid it sounds corny and I really don’t know anything about naming a horse by Asgardian standards.”

Loki looked over at me with a look that said I should stop making excuses and just tell him the name.

“Ok, it’s just because he’s so dark I thought I would call him Shadow.” I said as I looked at him.

Loki seemed to think about it but after a moment he smiled. “I think Shadow suits him and it’s a fine name. Now let us go to my mother so we can get you some riding gear.”

Frigga promised me that she would have some appropriate riding gear made for me. She asked if I wanted to ride side saddle or not. I totally agreed with Loki that it was better to ride normally. Luckily she did not mind and agreed that side saddle was a pain in the ass to ride for long periods of time.

I also told her about Muriel’s suggestion and while she was surprised that the idea came from him she agreed on the thought behind elven style dresses and she promised me she would enlist his help with the creation of a new wardrobe for my trip. Loki and I spent the rest of the evening dining and talking with Frigga about anything we could think of. It was late when we walked back towards our rooms.

“Tomorrow I will have another meeting with my father in the morning but I thought maybe at midday we could meet for lunch and then practice some magic? There are a few new things we have to learn before the trip.” He said as he leaned in the doorway of my room.

“Sounds like a plan.” I smiled at him. I wished him goodnight and went in to my room. I was too tired to study old Norse like I would do before I would go to bed most nights. But tonight I just enjoyed a glorious warm bath. I could not help but be excited for the days to come. I could not wait for the riding clothes so I could spend some more time with Shadow. 

 


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, just a little warning. Their is going to be some graphic descriptions down below.  
> I don't really want to spoil anything but just a little heads up so your warned.

The next day I knew I had nothing scheduled to do till midday and I decided I would go and check on Shadow. I made my way over to the stables to find my stallion. After wandering around a while I asked a stable hand about the new stallion and where I could find him. He told me that Master Renfield had taken him to the far stables to give him some last lessons.

Suddenly there was an uneasy feeling in my stomach and I quickly made my way to the far stables. When I got there, it looked almost deserted but I could hear nervous sounds and slight yelling from the far end of the stables.

As I got closer to the sound I could hear Renfield’s voice echo through the stables. “You stinking beast for once in your life I am going to teach you a lesson you will nog forget. I am actually glad I am rid of you and I cannot wait for that stuck-up princess to break her neck when riding you. Who the hell does she think she is. As if she can tame or even handle you while you will not even listen to me.”

I could hear Shadow snort nervously and pace in his stable. As I walked further I saw Renfield lift a riding whip and before I could act there was a loud slash and a terrified sound that could only be an animal in pain. I sprinted to the back of the stables as I saw Renfield standing there with a sick smile on his face.

I could not help but scream at the top of my lungs. “Who the hell do you think you are? This is my horse and how dare you hurt a poor animal like that.”

Renfield turned like lightening looking very spooked but when seeing who it was he got some of his hateful character back. “Princess I am sorry but you would not understand that this is a part of breaking a horse. He needs to submit before he will ever be ready to ride. If you would allow me I can make sure you have the perfect mount. Just let me finish breaking him.”

I could hear and feel his disdain for me and it did not make my anger flair any less.

“I don’t think I made myself clear.” I screamed at him. “If you do not get out of this stable in the next second I will make sure you will be buried so deep in the dungeons of Asgard that you will never see the light of day again.”

I felt Renfield’s anger explode and he lifted his arm holding the whip in a move to hit me. Before he could bring the whip down Shadow jumped forward and from behind bit him in the crook of his neck. Renfield wailed in pain and he grabbed a knife from somewhere under his tunic and plunged it behind him. Hitting Shadow directly in his neck. Shadow squealed in pain but he released Renfield’s neck. Shadow was now in a total panic and broke the rope that Renfield used to hold him in place. I felt Shadow’s terror and that of Renfield’s as there was no where for the terrified horse to go. Renfield was in the wrong place as Shadow bashed his way right through the side of the stable crashing Renfield through the wooden wall with him.

For a few seconds I was too shocked to react but when I got to grips with what had happened I ran outside to see Renfield’s body laying still on the stone floor. There were bloody snippets of wood everywhere and I could see Shadow run off in the distance. A trail of blood being the only thing he left behind. I ran after him as fast as I could. I saw stable hands running towards me who must have been alerted by the sound of Shadow crashing through the stable. I pointed back and yelled at them that Renfield was wounded and they needed to get a healer as I continued to run in the direction Shadow had taken off in.

Shadow had ran towards the fields but by the time I came around the corner of the stable buildings I could only see him in the far distance. My heart sank as I knew he must be terrified and wounded and there was no way for me to get to him. The sound of hooves on stone behind me made me turn around and I saw Muriel coming back from a ride.

I ran over to him and I was totally out of breath when I reached him. “Muriel my horse is wounded and took off over the fields.” I pointed towards where I last saw Shadows. “Please help me search for him.” I could feel tears stream down my face as the terror of what happened finally set in.

Muriel looked at me and then into the distance. But before I could beg again he stuck out his hand and when I grabbed it he drew me up and sat me in front of him. He held me with one arm as he spurred his horse in pursuit of Shadow. I could see the traces that Shadow had left in the fields and where he crashed through gates. It took all I had not to scream as Muriel made his horse jump the gates where Shadow clearly had come short and crashed through them. I hoped Muriel’s horse would not injure himself as there were nasty looking wood fragments everywhere. Soon the landscape changed and I found it hard to see where Shadow’s trail was but clearly Muriel didn’t have this problem. I trusted him and could do nothing but sob against his chest as I clutched onto him so I would not hamper his riding.

I noticed the ground below us turned rocky and as I looked up I saw Shadow standing on a rocky terrain near the sea shore. Before Muriel had a chance to even fully stop his horse I was already out of his arms and off the horse as I ran towards Shadow. I vaguely heard Muriel yell that I had to be cautious and that a terrified horse could be dangerous. But I couldn’t care less the poor beast had already suffered enough. The closer I got to Shadow the more I felt his fatigue and pain wave from the helpless animal. To alert him of my presence I started speaking to him.

“Poor Shadow I’m so sorry this happened but please don’t be afraid of me I want to help.”

At the sound of my voice I saw his eyes focus on me and he let out a big snort in recognition. I could see trembles start over his whole body. I quickly covered the last gap and had my arms around his neck stroking and mumbling soothing words in his neck. As I touched him I was overwhelmed with waves of his pain and I started crying. The trembling in his legs was getting harder and I saw a lot of scraping wounds on his legs. But the knife wound Renfield had made was gruesome to see. The running and crashing through fences had made the wound much worse. There was a lot of blood flowing from the wound and in seconds Shadow collapsed.

The horse squealed in pain and did his best not to fall on top of me. Sinking to its side to avoid landing on me or the side where the wood in his neck was. As he hit the ground I crawled beside him trying to make soothing sounds and hold his head not knowing what to do.

I looked over and saw Muriel look at us with sadness in his eyes.

 “What do I do?” I yelled. Trying my best to not to get hysterical but almost chocking on my own tears and trying to ignore the horrible pain I felt emanating from the poor horse.

Muriel quickly moved to my side and inspected Shadows wound and let out a big sigh. “I am sorry Aurora there is nothing we can do.”

I looked at him tears still streaming down my face and I could not help but get annoyed. Muriel looked so calm and resolved to do nothing. “What do you mean there is nothing? I have magic and you have magic we must be able to heal him, right?”

I felt a tingle at the back of my neck. I could hear Loki say things to me through the link but I was too distracted to focus on what he was saying. So, I ignored him and focused back on Muriel.

Muriel softly stroked Shadow who still was in a lot of pain but felt like he was going into shock.

“Aurora I am sorry. Healing spells work only for humanoids. They speed up the natural healing of that person. Healing an elf or Æsir from a mortal wound is hard enough and they have superior healing speed. Healing an animal works differently as they have no superior healing to speed up. Even if we sped up his bodies healing process we would still be too late.” He took a moment to swallow his own emotions. “The wound is loosing too much blood too fast. He’s bleeding to death. The humane thing to do is to put him out of his misery.”

I just stared at Muriel in horror and I saw him pull a large blade from his boot. I blinked a few times as I tried to accept what he just said. I could feel anger rise inside of me and it felt like I would burst.

“I will not accept that.” I said coldly. “Don’t you dare harm him.”  

Muriel looked at me sadness still clear in his eyes. But he did drop his knife a bit. I could see he wanted to say something. But I interrupted him before he could say anything.

“I’m not going to let this magnificent animal die without trying.” I shouted as if that would explain everything. I moved closer to Shadows side and gently patted his neck for comfort. I could feel Muriel’s hand on my shoulders trying to pull me back but I looked at him and could not help but snap and I gave him a large push. He nearly toppled backwards as he clearly did not expected me to do that.

“If you disturb me while I'm trying to save him you’ll be sorry.” I said with the same cold voice.  Again, there was a furious tingle on my neck but before I could hear anything Loki had to say I slammed the lock on our connection. I needed to focus and I couldn’t be distracted I would explain it all to him later. At the same time, I saw Muriel raise his hands in a form of surrender and move to give me some room.

I turned back towards Shadow and tried to make comforting sounds. I could feel his breathing getting slower and his heart  rate getting more erratic. I focused on his wounds and placed my hands over the huge wound that was bleeding badly. Shadow let out a whimper of pain as I put pressure on the wound. I nearly doubled over from the pain I felt and I could not help but scream myself. From my peripheral vision, I saw Muriel rush back over towards me. Immediately I raised one hand in warning signaling him to stop.

“You may hold me upright but I swear I will hurt you if you try to pull me away.” I said to him without looking.

I felt his hands on my shoulders to support me and I was glad he was helping so I did not have to struggle. Now touching his wounds the full force of Shadow’s pain was coursing through my body and it was hard to stay focused or even breathe but I had to. I repositioned my hands on his wound and cleared my mind. I pushed the pain to the back of my mind and then pushed my terror and fear back to try to calm. I was focusing on Shadows wound trying to feel the damage beneath my fingers. I connected to the warm feeling of my seidr in my chest and I started to pull on it. Forcing it to course further into my arms and into my hands. As I could feel the power flow through me I focused on the wound. In my mind, I concentrated on healing and repairing the damage. Just like I had done when I tried to read the titles of the books in the library. Focusing on one thing and one thing only. I felt the sure feeling of my magic pouring from my hands and into Shadow.

The only thing in the whole world were me and Shadow. My magic and his wounds. Slowly I could feel the pain in the back of my mind change. I don’t know how long it took but after I felt it changing I could also feel it lessen. More things came back to the world. I could feel Muriel’s hands on my shoulder. I could feel Shadow’s breathing and heartbeat stabilize. But I could feel my focus lessen and my whole body growing weary and heavy. I took a deep breath and pushed all those things back and refocused on Shadow’s wound. I still could feel the large gap in his muscles underneath my hands and I forced more of my magic into his body. I could feel his muscles knit back together. I could feel the wound beneath my hands close. I then focused in my mind on the rest of the damage his body had. His legs where badly scraped and bloody and I forced more magic into his body. After what seemed like an eternity I felt his pain stop.  

I scanned his body and found no more pain or wounds and with a shaky breath I removed my hands from his body. At the sametime all the things I had pushed out of my mind came rushing back. I felt Muriel, my exhaustion and I swear I could hear the sounds of an approaching horse. It sounded like someone was yelling my name. As I looked up I saw Loki racing towards me his mouth moving but no sound coming out. I looked at my very bloody hands and dress and felt Muriel release my shoulders as he moved in front of me. I could see his mouth move like he was saying something but I was overwhelmed with dizziness. Before I knew what happened I sagged down. Muriel’s arms the only thing preventing me from falling on the hard stones.

I saw Loki kneel beside me and reach for my face his lips moving. But still there was nothing, no sound. I tried to say something but another and bigger wave of dizziness washed over me and I did the only thing I could I closed my eyes and let it take me far away.

 

 

I was vaguely aware of sounds and movement around me but I was just too tired to respond. I could hear Loki’s voice but it was too muddled to make out any of the words. I could feel people being very scared and worried and I wanted to see what made them feel that way but again I was just too tired.

I could hear Muriel and Loki argue and they were interrupted by what sounded like Frigga. After that there was once more a long silence.

I felt someone take my hand and softly trace patterns on it. I could hear Loki softly mumble and after me trying my best to focus I managed to understand his words. He was repeating them like some kind of mantra.

“Please awake up Aurora. I cannot do this again.” He just kept repeating in a clearly distressed voice.

The feeling of total helplessness emanating from him nearly broke my heart. I think I blacked out a few times after that. As I recognized gaps in the sounds and things around me. I fought hard to clear my mind and open my eyes. When I finally did, Loki was silent. He was still holding my hand and softly tracing little patterns on the back of my hand. He was sitting on a chair next to my bed and was bent over. My hand in his hands his fingers mindlessly tracing the little patterns and his forehead resting on the side of the bed. He was slightly rocking back and forth.

I had a very dry mouth and knew I would not be able to get any words out. I then remembered I had locked Loki out of our bond. I focused on it and removed the metaphorical lock. He was too absorbed in his thoughts to notice so I took all the focus I had and just thought.  _“Hi”_.

The shock through his body was almost as big as the shock in his feelings. He nearly jumped out of his chair like he had been attacked. His eyes flew to my face and I could feel this giant wash of relief go over him when he saw me looking back at him.

I was too tired to say anything else so we just stared for a few moments. It was Loki who spoke first his voice nearly breaking with emotions.

“There you are.” A weak smile spreading on his face. I could feel anger well up inside of him and my eyes widened and I could immediately see his posture change. “I am sorry, I am angry about seeing you like this but please do not let it scare you. I just spent the last four days worrying at your side. I was scared that I might have lost you again. The last time you laid like this I had to wait for over 2 years for you to wake.”

I blinked a few times as his words sank in.

“Aurora are you in pain?” he asked gently grabbing my hand again.

I shook my head.

He closed his eyes for a moment and I felt his relief.

“But you feel exhausted and tired?”

I nodded my head.

I tried to speak but nothing came out so I swallowed painfully a few times but it did not help. Loki was next to me sitting on the side of the bed in an instant. Gently lifting me up in a sitting position. He carefully held me up and placed me so I was leaning into his arms for support.

“You need something to drink.” he stated.

I nodded again.

He moved his hand and with a tingle of magic there was a cold glass of water with a straw. He held the glass steady and moved it so I could reach the straw. I took a small sip of the water. When I swallowed, I could feel the immediate improvement and eagerly took another sip. After a few sips Loki removed the glass again.

“You should not overdo it. Your body has been through a lot the last few days you should take it easy.” He explained.

I rested my head against his chest. I found that I could speak a bit now

“Shadow?” I asked him as I looked up to see his face.

A small smile formed on his lips that didn’t reach his eyes. “Shadow is fine. You saved his life and he is in the stables. I have personally selected a stable hand Shadow likes. He will take care of him and he is the only one that is allowed near him or to touch him.”

I nodded glad Shadow was alive and safe.

It was Loki’s worry that caught my attention because I was about to drift off again.

“What’s wrong?” I managed to ask as I looked back up again.

“Aurora I was in a meeting with my father when I was suddenly overwhelmed with intense stress and pain. It took me a moment to comprehend that they were your motions that I was feeling. I looked everywhere for you. When I finally made it to the stables I saw the chaos and Renfield’s state. I was sure that you were mortally wounded and I tried to contact you several times but you did not reply and then you shut me out of our connection. I could not contact you but the emotions stayed and I was out of my mind with worry. When I finally reached you and Muriel, you collapsed. I got you back into the healing ward but Lady Eir could find nothing wrong with you physically. What happened? Why were you in so much pain?”

I felt something wet touch my face and I realized that there were tears falling from Loki’s cheeks onto mine. I reached up to softly brush them from his face.

“Not my pain but Shadows. Empath.” I manage to get out and I saw realization dawn on his face.

“I never knew that you could feel others emotions to that degree. If you were in so much pain why follow him or even touch him? He is a beast that went wild and hurt Renfield. He could also have injured you badly. I never should have bought him for you.” Loki exclaimed and I could feel him blame himself as he said the words.

I tried to make eye contact but Loki just closed his eyes and shook his head. I squeezed Loki’s hand as I tried to get his attention and it worked. I could she him look down again. I could not help but feel angry tears fall from my eyes.

“Shadow’s innocent.” I managed to get out through the lump in my throat. “Renfield was hurting him and then he wanted to hit me with a whip. Shadow bit him to stop him and Renfield stabbed him. Shadow got scared and in panic crashed through the stable taking Renfield with him. Shadow’s innocent.”

I could see comprehension dawn on Loki’s face and I could feel anger fill him. “That horrible lying piece of shit.” He was too upset to utter more words and I could feel his body tense and a darkness within him came to the surface.

I knew I had to get his mind off of Renfield or he might do something bad.

“Why am I feeling this weak?” I asked trying to get Loki’s attention off Renfield. Which seemed to work as he instantly focused back on me.

He sighed but did answer my question. “Do you remember the magic lessons about using too much magic at one time? And remember that time you accidentally translated the book in the library and how dizzy you got?”

A light bulb went off in my head and I nodded that I understood. “Oh.” Was the only thing I could say.

“It’s a wonder that you were even able to heal Shadow to the extent that you did before you passed out. It’s a miracle when I know how much pain you were in when healing him. Aurora I know I could never stop you from trying to save something you care about. Even if you put yourself in danger doing so.”  He stopped for a moment. “But please Aurora when you are in danger please do not ever switch the link off again. I nearly went out of my mind when the connection went dark at first I thought you had died. Next time just scream at me to shut up or something and I will. But please do not block me. I could not sense you and I had no idea where you were and I only felt pain. I thought I was going insane. I asked everyone if they had seen you. Luckily a stable hand told me he had seen you jump on Muriel’s horse and the direction you went in.” I felt he wanted to plead and beg more but I had to stop him as his pleads and the emotions running through him were already breaking my heart.

“I’m sorry.” Was all I could say as tears fell down my face and I meant it. I really was very sorry. Not for healing Shadow but for shutting Loki out like I had. I could feel the stress in his pleas and the terror it had caused him

He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me in his lap. I sank against his chest and he held me like that. His head resting on top of mine.

“I think it’s a side effect from the spell.” He said after some time. “With me being your guardian it alerted me when you were in pain. I knew you were in danger and I had this irresistible urge to save and help you. I literally nearly drove myself mad when I did not know where you were. I am sorry if this makes you uncomfortable. If you find it weird we can undo the spell as I promised but again I need to ask you that if we keep the bond, please do not shut me out when something like this happens.”

I moved a bit in his lap so I could wrap my arms around his neck and rest my head in the crook of his neck. I used my bond to answer him so he could feel how sorry I was.  

_“I’m sorry Loki. I truly am. I promise that if there is something like this in the future I will do my best not to cut you off. I’m sorry you felt Shadows pain through me. I wish you didn’t have to feel that and I’m even more sorry that I scared you. I will do my best to never let that happen again and no, unless you want to I don’t want to break our bond.”_

I could feel his arms pull me closer against him and it suddenly dawned on me that here in his arms was the safest and most protected I had ever felt. I knew he could feel it too and it calmed him down immeasurably.

As he calmed he eased his grip so I could sink back against his chest again.

“Let’s nog overuse the bond.”  He said softly against my head. “You are still weak and it’s going to take a few days before I’m comfortable with you doing magic again. You nearly fully drained yourself. But I felt it too. Holding you now in my arms is the best medicine against what happened. It must be a guardian bond thing. Knowing your safe in my arms calms me like nothing else does. And no, I do not want to terminate the bond either. I think not knowing you were in danger today would be even more horrifying. This way I can at least help you when needed. But always remember you do have that option if you want it.”  He sighed and we just sat there calming each other. “I really should release you now as I think my mother is on her way and I had promised her and Lady Eir to let them know as soon as you were awake.”

I let out a small groan and Loki laughed.

“I will make sure they know that you need your rest. But they are very worried.” Reluctantly he added. “Muriel is also very worried and has been in and out the last few days. He has a lot of questions about you and what happened. I told him it was your decision to decide how much you wanted to tell him. We kind of argued over this and my mother kicked us out.” He chuckled. “Shall I let him know you are awake and going to be well?”

I nodded. “Yes, but please I’m very tired so can you please make sure that they don’t come all at once. For now I just want to feel safe and sleep.”

Loki gently squeezed me with his arms. “I promise. I will go and let them know you are awake. Then I will be back and be right here while you sleep. I will make sure they will not overwhelm or wake you.”

I looked up at him and smiled. “While it would make me feel better knowing you’re here. I also know that I’m safe. So, you can go to your room if you want. I don’t want to burden you more then I already have.”

Loki replied by kissing my forehead. “I think it’s safer if I am here for the moment. For I fear that If I have too much free time I might take a few of my emotions out on a certain master Renfield.”

I nodded as my mood darkened as I thought about that lying weasel of a man. “Putting it like that I think it’s wise for you to be here. Because as soon as I feel better I think I need you to restrain me from visiting him. There will be some form of action taken against him, right? That bastard meant to hit me with his whip. But most importantly he was whipping Shadow for no reason when I walked in. I heard him shout at him saying he hoped I would break my neck by riding him.” I was getting worked up all over again but Loki shushed me.

“Calm yourself. I will make sure he gets punished. He is still in the healing ward but I will let Lady Eir know he will be guarded from now on until my father has time to pass judgement. Now I want you to try and go back to sleep.” With that he gently lifted me off his lap and back on the bed.

I could feel how tired I was and before I could protest I felt my eyes close on their own accord. Before Loki even left the room I was back to sleep again. It was much later in the day when I woke again. Loki was sitting reading in a chair and next to him was Frigga also reading a book. I shifted slightly and I saw Frigga look up and smile.

“My dear you are awake. How do you feel?” She got up from her chair and sat at the side of my bed so she could take my hand.

I repositioned my pillow a bit so I could sit up more as I collected my thoughts. “To be honest I feel a lot better. I’m still tired but I don’t feel like I have to fight to keep my eyes open.”

“I’m glad to hear that my dear and I’m very glad to see you awake again. I have promised Loki that I would not tire you but I want to discuss something with you if you do not mind.”

I nodded.

“As you know prince Muriel has been asking questions. He knows somethings out of the ordinary after what he witnessed. But I was wondering what you wanted to tell him about this whole ordeal. His position as ambassador and prince of Alfheim makes him someone that we do not want to alienate if possible. Loki thinks we should not tell him anything but I fear that would make things worse. He was in quite a state over you.” I could hear Loki huff. But Frigga seemed to ignore this and continue. “As was my own son.” She continued while looking at Loki.

I could swear if possible there was a tiny blush on his neck. But I focused back on what Frigga had said. I saw her put up a finger and made a motion with her hand as she softly said some words.

“I have made it so that we are shielded from intrusions. We can talk safely now. So, Aurora what do you think?”

“I think we should tell him some form of the truth.”  I said after thinking for a moment. “I don’t want to lie to him but I think he will understand that there are things I don’t have to tell him. I think I should explain to him that my seidr is different. But I don’t want to explain to him where I came from or how I got my powers. I don’t want to jeopardize you and Odin by veering from the story of my heritage. And lastly I think if he does ask certain questions I should tell him about my empathic abilities. But only if he caught on to it. If not, then I will keep that to myself too. But I could use both your views on this point what do you think I should do?” I looked between Loki and Frigga.

Frigga smiled. “I think your plan is wise. You will give him enough information so his questions will be answered. I agree that its best not to have anyone challenge Odin’s story or involve Fenrir. The information about your emphatic abilities is something that I worry about. I do not know how close you are now but I fear there are people who would not want to be friends with an empath. But I do not have enough information about the prince to judge his character. So, I think it wise for you to make that decision on the spot. I just hope it will not cost you a friend.

I looked over to Loki to see what his view was. He lowered his book a bit and looked troubled.

“The Muriel I knew way back would keep your secrets safe and not care about any abilities. But you know I do not know Muriel as well now. He’s been doing his very best to be your friend. But I cannot help but think there is an ulterior motive behind him doing this. I have yet to be able to find out what it is. I feel you should do as you say but indeed do not tell him about Fenrir or that you are not a real princess. If that ever came out it would not only be bad for Odin but also put you in danger.”

I was glad we all agreed at this and Frigga waved her hand again and I could feel the magic shield drop.

 


	14. Chapter 14

There was a knock on my door and Frigga called to see who it was.

It was Lady Eir. “Princess Aurora, Prince Muriel asks to see you. I told him you already had company but he politely asked if I would ask if he was welcome.”  She said calmly. “It’s your choice but I must ask you not to overexert yourself. I have checked on you while you were sleeping and planned you to sleep in your own room tonight. But if I feel you are too exhausted I will keep you here for another day.” She said sternly.

“I understand Lady Eir.” I said with a smile. “I will do my best not to overexert myself. But please tell Prince Muriel he is welcome to enter.”

She left with a bow and a few moments later Muriel entered.  A calm expression on his face but I could tell he was glad to see me awake. That at least gave me a bit of hope.

It was Frigga who greeted him first. “Prince Muriel good to see you again. I hope you do not mind me asking but could you keep Aurora Company for a moment? There is an Item I wish to attend to and I need my son’s company. But we are reluctant to leave Aurora alone.”

I could feel the daggers Loki was mentally shooting into the back of his mother’s head and I had to do my best not to grin. Clearly he was a little protective of me after this incident.

I concentrated on my link in the hope I could calm him.  _“Loki please. It’s better I talk to Muriel alone. But if I think he won’t take the news well or if I need help I promise I will use our link.”_

I could feel Loki’s apprehension die down a bit as Muriel replied to Frigga. “It would be my honor my Queen. I am glad to see her awake and have the opportunity to talk to her.”

Frigga smiled and bent over the bed so she could give me a hug before she left. As she took her leave I could see Loki reluctantly follow behind her and I felt a tingle at my neck.

_“I will be nearby, if there is anything let me know. I will be one teleport away if Muriel gives you trouble.”_

 I gave him a nod and a smile and then they left the room. I moved a bit in the bed trying to get more pillows behind me so I could sit up straighter.

“Please let me help.” And in an instant Muriel was beside me and with his help the pillows were sorted out in no time and he gently lifted me up a bit so I was more comfortably rested against the pillows. He pulled a seat closer to the bed and sat down.

“You look a lot better now. I hope you feel better too?” He asked. Clearly a bit anxious and slightly uncomfortable.

“Yes thank you. While I’m still very tired from using too much magic there is nothing wrong with me. So, with a few days of rest I should be fine.” We stared a bit in silence. I was not sure how to begin. But after a moment I felt the need to break the silence.

“Muriel I’m sorry I threatened you.” I said as I saw him focus back on me. “I’m really glad and grateful for your help and I’m sorry I threatened to hurt you.”

This at least earned me a smile from him. “At the time you said those words I thought them as a figure of speech. A joke you might say in anger for I could not see how you could deliver on the threat. But after what I saw you doing. I think you are very powerful. I would be lying if I said that it did not worry me.”

I could not help but let my shoulders sag a bit. Not because his words were mean. But because they were true.

“I hope you can believe me when I say that I wouldn’t have hurt you.” I said softly. “I might have pushed you away but I would not have deliberately used my magic on you.” I looked him in the eyes to see how he would react.

He looked as if he was thinking about what I said. “I believe you when you say you would not hurt me. But can I ask… could you have? If you were so inclined no matter what the reason behind it, could you with your powers?”

I understood his question. He wanted to know how I was different and how my powers worked.

“To be honest I don’t know for I have never used my powers that way. But yes, I think I could. I was sent to Asgard to train my seidr. Shortly after I started my lessons with Loki we discovered my powers were different. Yes, I have seidr but no I’m not limited to spells.”

I could see his eyes widen in disbelief but I continued.

“I was with Loki in the library and I couldn’t read the books for I only know my own language. I had never learned to read any other and back then had not learned all speak yet. But when I touched the book and ran my hand over the cover I really wanted to be able to read it. I found that when I concentrated I could use my magic to translate the words. I was not actively or knowingly using magic at the time it was more out of instinct. I used so much magic it made my dizzy and I nearly collapsed. It was then that Loki had Lady Eir place me on a soul forge and the results were very abnormal. The best way to describe it is that I have a lot more seidr flowing in my body than anyone else.”

I could see Muriel looking at me. His calm face in place and keeping most of his feelings in check. “Do you have more than Loki?” he asked. “I know from my past friendship how much seidr he has and I know it’s more than anything on record.”

I nodded. “Yes, it’s more. I don’t know how much he has and how mine compares but I know it’s more.” I stared at my hands for a moment. It was weird talking about this and Muriel’s feelings were very hard to read.

“So you healed that horse without the use of a spell?” He asked

Again I nodded. “Yes, I didn’t know it would work. But it was like with the book. Except I intentionally accessed my magic and forced it in his wounds. Then I just cleared my mind and concentrated on healing him. I just wanted to help him and it worked. I’m sorry I cannot be clearer in this as it’s the second time I used this kind of magic and the first time I did it on purpose. I just had to try I couldn’t let Shadow die.”

Muriel seemed to let this information sink in for a moment and I just sat there wringing my hands.

“Does using your magic like that always hurt a lot?” he asked suddenly.

I looked up in confusion and I saw Muriel scanning my face. Suddenly I understood what he meant and I shook my head. “No, when I use a lot it makes me dizzy but as I understand from Loki that’s always the case when you use too much magic. No, it does not hurt when I use my magic in that way.”

I could see the next question clearly written over his face and I buried my face in my hands. “Muriel I’m telling you this because I still want us to be friends. I will not make you swear anything before I tell you this but as you might understand I don’t want other people to know. Especially about what I’m gonna say next. But if we are to remain friends I know I need to tell you this. But I hope it won’t cost me your friendship.”

I could see his posture stiffen in his chair as he waited for me to continue.

“The reason you saw me in pain when I touched Shadows was because I was feeling his pain. When I started using my magic something changed in me. It seems like it awakened something else. What I’m trying to say is that I’m an empath. I never knew before I came to Asgard. But when I’m around people I can get a general sense of what they are feeling. Depending on how actively they feel it. When I touch people, I get a very clear sense of what they are feeling. So, when I touched Shadow I felt all his pain.”

I sat there looking at my hands waiting for Muriel to say something but he was silent. As I looked up I could see him scanning my face watching me like he was studying me. After a while he asked another question. “So that is why you needed me to help you sit up at first. Not because you knew the magic would drain you but because it was hurting you that much to touch the horse.”

I nodded. “Yes, again thank you. I don’t think I could have helped Shadow if you had not been there to keep me up and focused.”

He looked at me. “Why? Why do it then?”

I smiled a bit at his question. “Loki asked me the same.” I said to explain why I grinned. “You see what happened wasn’t Shadows fault. He hated his owner and I agree with him. As being in his company for only a few minutes made me want to take a hot bath to get the feeling of that creep off me. So, with Loki’s help we kind of played master Renfield a bit and made him sell us Shadow cheaply. When I went to the stables this morning Renfield had taken Shadow and was hurting him because I had made him angry. When I confronted him Renfield went to hit me with his whip and Shadow bit him in my defense. Renfield stabbed Shadow with a knife making the poor animal frightened to death and then shadow bolted straight through a wooden stable wall to get away from him.”

Retelling the whole story made me emotional again and I did my best to hold my tears back as I looked up at Muriel. “So you see this whole thing is my fault. If I didn’t bait and make Loki trick Renfield he in return wouldn’t have taken out his aggression on Shadow. None of this would ever have happened. Even then Shadow only bit Renfield in order to protect me. Knowing full well what kind of monster Renfield was and that he would hurt him for it.” Tears were now spilling down my face and I hated myself for crying again. “How could I not do my best to help him? His pain, his wounds I was the cause and I just needed to try and help him.”

I was feeling so guilty about what had happened to Shadow my tears turned into sobs. I used my hands to cover my face when I suddenly felt the bed sag with a weight. I looked up through my fingers and saw Muriel on the side of my bed as he pulled me into a hug. I couldn’t help but rest my head against his chest as he slowly stroked my back. When I calmed down again he took my shoulders and gently placed me back on my pillows but he remained seated on my bed.

“I am sorry for what has happened Aurora.” He said with a kind voice. “But please know it was not your fault. If you need to place blame give it to Renfield. I am sure Loki and Odin will make sure he will get his due punishment.”

I gave him a watery smile. “Thank you.”

He took my hand. “As for the other things we discussed. Thank you for your explanation I understand why you want to keep all of it a secret. I swear to you that I will keep it as such. If you do not mind I do want to talk to Loki some more about your seidr. But not because I am scared but more because I am curious.”

I could feel the sincerity in his words and I knew I could trust him. “Thank you. I will let him know that I don’t mind you asking questions and that I hope he will answer them.”

He looked at our hands and he looked back up. “I also do not mind the fact that you are an empath. The only thing I ask is that you keep what I feel private. I do not mind the general things that people can deduce themselves. But I am a private person and I do not like the idea of you telling people outside our friendship how I feel on things. Seeing as I am the ambassador there are a lot of situations where it would be devastating for Odin to learn how I truly feel about things. I do not think I could be friends with you if you would use that part of your power against me.”

I understood where he was coming from. “Muriel I swear to you that I will not use my empathic abilities to cause you trouble or harm. I will not let Odin use me as a sniffer dog for diplomatic uses and harm my friends. You have my word on this.”

I saw a smile form on Muriel’s lips. “Then Aurora I fear there is no other option for us then to remain friends.”

“Thank you Muriel and please if there’s more you need to know please just ask me in private and I will try and answer your questions. I will however reserve the right not to answer questions I don’t want to. But I will just tell you if that’s the case. I won’t lie to you.”

Now Muriel laughed out loud. “I can see you have been spending your time with the God of Lies. For it seems he is creating another silver tongue. I can see the honesty in your words Aurora. I will do you the same curtesy. I in return will not lie to you and I reserve the option to not answer any question that would force me to do so. The only addendum I must make is when I am officially in my role as Ambassador. I do not think it will ever happen. But in that capacity, my first loyalty is to my Kingdom and second to my friends. But I will make that clear by addressing you with your full title so you know who it is whose addressing you. Is that alright?”

“That’s acceptable Muriel and thank you for your trust and secrecy. I’m glad I haven’t lost a friend over this. Just to make sure though only you, Loki, Frigga and Odin know of this. I would like it to remain this way.”

There was a slight tingle at the back of my neck as I heard Loki’s voice _. “Is everything alright? My mother is done pestering me and I really want to come back to see you but I do not want to interrupt.”_

_“I’m fine Loki we are done talking you can come back in if you’d like.”_

Muriel stood and moved back to his seat. “I understand Aurora I will not betray your trust.”

His words were followed by a knock on my door. As I told the person to enter knowing it would be Loki who walked in the room.

“Aurora I am sorry to interrupt.” He said looking apologetic but I knew he was only pretending. “But it’s nearing dinner time and if I do not liberate you soon I think Lady Eir will keep you for another night. I thought I could teleport you back to your room where we could have some dinner.” He looked over at Muriel. “If Aurora is up for it you could join us too.” he said carefully.

Muriel looked surprised by his invite. “Thank you but I am afraid I must decline. I have some meetings I must attend to during dinner that I cannot postpone. But if you do not mind I would like to talk to you some more about Aurora's abilities. There are some questions I would like to ask.” He looked at me and then back to Loki. “She told me she did not mind them.”

Loki looked at me and I nodded. “Ok, but for the sake of transparency I would like Aurora to be present when you ask them. Also, I would like them to be in private. Either in my personal library or outside of the castle. The healing ward is warded against most intrusions as you know but the rest of the palace outside of my personal library is not. So, when she’s feeling better I will be glad to answer your questions if I can and at an appropriate place. Is this acceptable?” He asked.

Muriel stood and nodded. “Yes this will be fine.” He said and turned and bowed to me. “Aurora I wish you a speedy recovery and I hope to see you soon.” As I smiled Muriel left leaving Loki and me alone.

“Now!” Loki said with a grin. “I believe I was rescuing you from this dreadful place.” And he launched himself next to me in bed and wrapped his arms around me as we both laughed.

There was a rush of magic and as I looked around me we were now sitting on the sofa in my room. There was a loud scream as Yara walked into the room and was nearly startled to death.

I could not help but laugh as Loki released his arms and gently laid me to rest against the armrest of the sofa. Propped up with a pillow like nothing was wrong.

“Yara, I’m so sorry.” I laughed. “Loki just liberated me from the healing ward by teleporting me here. We did not mean to scare you.”

Luckily Yara recovered almost immediately from her fright. “It’s no problem Princess Aurora what can I do to help you?”

It was Loki who answered her. “Yara would you be so kind as to help Aurora bathe and dress into something comfortable. She’s still very tired so I would appreciate it if you would not leave her side while she bathes. In the meantime, I will go and arrange for something to eat for the two of us.”

“Yes my Prince. It would be my honor.” She said with a curtsy to him. “But if you want you can rest and I can get you both a meal as soon as Princess Aurora is finished with her bath and dressed.”

Loki just waved his hand. “No need Yara this way her dinner will be ready and waiting for her when she is dressed.”

As Loki moved towards the door Yara came over to help me to the bathroom. I was glad to have Yara’s help because now upright I could feel the tax Shadows healing had on my body. It then hit me how tired I still was. She quickly bathed me and then asked how i wanted to dress.

“Yara, is there a way where it’s acceptable to have company and not have to hoist myself into a full dress. I’d rather put on a sleeping gown as they are much more comfortable. But I can imagine that to not be considered proper when I'm expecting company.”

Yara smiled. “Yes, there is a way.” And she helped me wrap myself in a towel and then moved me to my bed to sit. She rummaged in the large collection of clothing. That with the new additions looked even more ridiculously extensive. She took out a long night gown but she also took out a what looked to be a sort of Victorian long coat. But it was made of a soft fabric and had long sleeves.

She showed it to me. “Normally you use this if you reside in your chambers on colder winter nights. it’s acceptable clothing to receive close friends and family in and I think we both can say the prince qualifies as that.”

She helped me dress and when I looked in the mirror I was surprised that a night gown and something that was practically a fancy bathrobe looked this good while still feeling very comfortable. As Yara was drying my hair I could hear sounds coming from the other side of the door. When she was done she gave me an arm to walk back to the main chamber of my room.

When I walked into the room I saw Loki place the last bowls of food on the table. He had placed the table next to the sofa so I could lie down and still enjoy my meal. One side of the sofa he had stuffed with a lot of green cushions so I could comfortably lounge. Yara lowered me on the sofa and made sure I had enough support at my back to sit upright while resting comfortably. I could not help but laugh at the fact that little by little my room kept getting greener. The color must be second nature for Loki when he was creating items. But it was a clear giveaway it had been his magic every time a thoughtful green item made its way into my room to make my life easier. I wondered if he was aware that he was doing it. The food smelled wonderful but I was very surprised as it was different from the normal food.

Loki saw me looking at it and laughed. “Seeing as you liked the elven soup Muriel brought you I thought that tonight I would give you a small selection of elven cuisine.”

I saw a mischievous glint in his eyes and I could not help but laugh. “And will Muriel have anything to eat tonight? Because I don’t think the kitchen just had this ready for you in the short time I bathed.”

Loki laughed out loud. “I did not steal his food. But I might have insinuated to him that the lightness of elven cuisine might be beneficial to your recovery. In return he was most willing to part with his dinner and eat some Asgardian cuisine tonight.”

I smiled at Loki. “Then I should thank him when I see him because it really does smell delicious.” I could see Loki pout a bit and I grinned. “And of course I want to thank you my knight in shining armor who arranged this meal for me. Thank you, Loki, it smells wonderful. Thank you for going through the trouble of getting this for me. I know it’s still weird between you and Muriel so thank you for asking him for a favor. Now is that a bowl of that soup I like that I see there?”

With a smile Loki got up and handed me a bowl of soup while also taking one for himself.

We had a lovely dinner and laughed a lot but I was fighting sleep. We talked about the things we had to do before our trip and we decided I would use the next day to rest and if I was up to it that we would start riding and extra seidr lessons the next day. I was yawning loudly when we decided I needed to go to bed. It was then that Loki looked at me with a vulnerable look on his face and I could feel he wanted to ask me something but was debating with himself if he should ask or not.

“Loki, if you want to ask something just do it. You know I promised you that you can ask anything without me getting upset.”

He shuffled a bit. “It’s just that after what happened I still feel very protective of you. The last few days I had trouble sleeping when you were in the healing ward. So I teleported there to watch over you so I could be near if anything happened. When I was near you I was able to get some rest.” He shrugged his shoulder. “I’m sorry that it sounds like I am an obsessive creep but it must be a guardian thing that I feel better when I am near when I know you are not at your full strength.”

I contemplated his words and I felt his nerves and I wanted to put him at ease. “Loki I get that we are still new to this whole bond thing. And there are still things we must work out between us. But I still don’t regret it.” I admitted. “You felt how safe your presence makes me feel and I felt how calm you felt when holding me.”

He nodded in understanding. But stayed silent.

“So what would make you feel better right now?” I asked him. “I can feel there is something you want to ask so please. What would help you?”

“Could I stay with you tonight?” he asked and I could feel his nerves skyrocket. “I would make sure that I will not be seen by Yara when she enters your room. I would be fine just sitting in a chair next to your bed and getting some sleep. I do not want to force you but I think I would not get any sleep otherwise.”

I reached out my hand and took his in mine. “You can stay Loki. If that’s what you need I’m fine with it. This bond thing works both ways and it’s not only you who needs to protect me. I also vowed to you to keep you safe. So please don’t ever feel ashamed to ask for something you need.”

He stood and pulled me into a hug. As he wrapped his arms around me I once again felt that all was right in the world. He gently helped me into the bedroom and I removed the over coat and climbed under the bedding. He motioned his hand and on the other side of the bed near the window and a comfortable chair appeared. The placing giving him the best view of the room and its exits. With another wave of his hand his clothing changed to a more comfortable looking tunic and pair of pants and he took his place in the chair. I wished him goodnight and almost instantly dozed off.

I had a strange feeling and slowly my surroundings became clear but they didn’t make sense. I was outside again but I didn’t know why. Suddenly there was a high-pitched squeal that I instantly recognized as Shadows and that he was in pain. There was a bloody trail on the floor and I panicked as I started following it. There was so much blood I slipped and fell several times. My dress and hands fully covered in blood. When I rounded the corner I saw Shadow standing in the dark. One side of him looked beautiful and black and the other side was sickening. There were bones sticking out of his body and large pieces of flesh hanging from his side. He was bleeding heavily. As I took a step towards him I could hear the eerie voice of master Renfield screaming furiously at us both. This causing Shadow to startle and run again.

I never felt as helpless in my life as I ran after Shadow with all I had. I could always see him but it was like I could never reach him. I kept falling and feeling the sickly warmth of blood on my hands.

There was a sound behind me and as I turned I saw master Renfield standing behind me with his whip raised in one hand and his other stretched out towards me. I was frozen in place and I could only watch in horror as his hand reached my shoulder and he started to shake me. I tried to fight him off but he was to strong. I could not get his hands off my shoulder and I closed my eyes in horror. I could hear Renfield shout my name with disgust and I was sure he was going to kill me. But suddenly Renfield’s voice changed and it sounded more like Loki.

“Aurora, please wake. Aurora please your having a bad dream.”

I was still fighting the hands but as I opened my eyes instead of Renfield and the outdoors I saw Loki’s face. I stopped fighting as reality came back to me. I was in my room and Loki was with me. I was shivering all over. Once more I looked around me to make sure Renfield was not here. But all I could see was my own room and Loki looking very worried.

Loki was still talking to me in a gently voice. “Aurora, I am here, your safe. It was a bad dream and you are safe I have you.” His arms gently pulling into his chest to calm me.

It took me a few tries but I got my ragged breathing under control and I just sank into his arms. I did my best not to cry. I was so sick of crying. I had cried enough these last few days and on top of that I was exhausted. Loki just pulled me closer against him and just held me till I stopped shivering.

“Do you want to talk about it?” he softly asked in my ear.

I refused to leave his arms so I just mumbled into his chest. “It was Renfield. He was hurting Shadow again. Shadow ran away and I could not get to him. I ran as fast as I could but I just could not catch up. But then Renfield was there and he wanted to hurt me. He grabbed me and shook me and then you woke me up.”

I felt Loki place a gentle kiss on the top of my head. “Renfield will not hurt anyone Aurora. I promise you. Not you, not Shadow. I have explained all to mother and father and they will make sure he will get what he deserves.”

I just nodded against Loki’s chest. Letting his arms and presence calm me. When suddenly I snorted a bit.

“What?” Loki asked amused.

I moved a bit in his arms so I was leaning backwards so I could see his eyes. My own eyes now having adjusted to the dark so I could make them out in the pale moonlight that was drifting in from the windows.

“Here I am letting you stay in order for you to feel better.” I said sarcastically. “And again you save me and I end up a frightened mess in your arms. I’m sorry.” I added and let my head drop against his shoulder.

He shifted a bit so he could support me with one arm and use the other so he could make me look at him again. “Do not be sorry Aurora. To be honest it feels good to be able to help someone in this way. It might sound very self-centered. But it feels very good to be needed. While I do not want you to have bad dreams or be in pain. I still want to be the one to help you through it all. I have been quite lonely for a long time. It's also reassuring that as much as I need your company you seemed to need mine too.”

“I guess you are stuck with me then.” I smiled and we sat there for a few moments. But I could not help but yawn again and Loki began moving me so he could return to his seat. But I could not help but feel a bit of panic return as he moved away.

“Loki, I told you that you that you could ask me anything and if you needed it I would try and help.” I said. “And you didn’t have to feel embarrassed to ask me things that normally might embarrass other people.”

Loki looked a bit confused but nodded.

“Can I ask you something?” I added shyly.

"Of course you can." He softly replied.

I looked at him for a moment and I could feel he meant it. “Could you stay here besides me and hold me while I sleep?” I asked. Now I felt vulnerable asking this. So, I quickly added. “I’m afraid that if you move to the chair the dream will come back.” I knew it was very childish but I felt safe in his arms and I was still shaken.

I could see a small smile form on his face and I knew he didn’t mind my strange request.

“I will stay if you want.” He said as he kissed the top of my head. He gently laid me back on my pillows and moved a bit so he could lie next to me on top of the covers.

I smiled but instantly got a cold shiver from the loss of body heat making me shake again. Without words Loki moved and lifted the covers. As he settled besides me in bed he left some room open between us. But with the shivers returning I decided I needed his warmth. So I slid over till our bodies were touching. I placed a hand against his chest and he rolled to his side moving one arm up as an invite. Without any thought, I just curled up against him. My head on his arm just below his chin and my arms folded between us against his chest. He placed his other arm protectively over my side so I was snugly fitted in his arms. Instantly the warmth returned to my body and my eyes drooped shut. Renfield totally eradicated from my mind as I felt safe and was back to sleep in a mere moment.

 


	15. Chapter 15

When I woke, it was because the first rays of the sun lighted my room. I've never felt as comfortable as I was feeling right now. I was still facing Loki’s chest. His head above mine. I could feel his breath slowly move the hairs on my head. He was deep asleep his arms still protectively wrapped around me. I didn’t want to wake any further because I was just so comfortable. But curiosity got the better of me and I wanted to see his face. I slowly moved a bit in his arms hoping I wouldn’t wake him. I inched back a bit and now I could see his face.

I had never seen him so relaxed or carefree. His eyes closed and his long lashes on his cheeks. His hair a bit wavy and loose around his head. One lock lay over his forehead and across his face. I moved my arm slowly and tucked the stray lock gently behind his ear. Loki stirred a bit in his sleep and he pulled my body tightly against his and I felt a flutter in my stomach.

I had always found Loki very attractive but being close like this in his arms just felt right. I sobered a bit trying to clear away these feelings and thoughts. Who was I kidding? We were here because of the guardian spell. Even this feeling of rightness or safeness had to be because of the spell. I could not help but feel a bit sad. He was here because he was my guardian and friend and I had no right to spin it any different in my head. That would only cause pain and awkwardness between us. If anything, I'd rather have Loki as my best friend then risk anything trying to make more out of our friendship. I mean who was I kidding I’m an empath. I would be able to feel it if he felt anything more than friendship for me. So, I knew for a fact he did not. Yes, he cared a great deal but he was not in love or falling in love with me.

So, once more I pushed the feelings to the back of my head and then just watched Loki as I saw he was waking. I could feel his fingers flex on my back like he was trying to determine what was in his arms. It was like he was not sure what he felt as there was a slight frown on his face and his eyes slowly opened. As he saw me looking back he slowly closed them again as he gripped me and pulled me against his chest while stretching his body.

“Good morning.” He yawned into my hair. “I think I never slept this well in my life. Did you sleep well?” He pulled back a bit so he could look in my eyes. “After the bad dream I mean.” He added quickly and I could feel a bit of worry start within him.

“I slept very well.” I admitted with a smile. “It seems the god of Lies and mischief has another calling.”

This earning me a raised eyebrow from Loki.

“You make an excellent mattress.” I grinned as I saw realization dawn on his face that I was teasing him.

“Why you insolent …..” But he did not finish as he nearly leaped up and pinned me to the bed. His hands tickling the life out of me.

To my surprise I was really ticklish. I nearly woke the whole palace with my laughter. But he didn’t relent he just kept tickling me. His weight pinned me down on the bed making my escape impossible. Tears were streaming over my face as I begged him to stop and luckily he did. With a loud laugh, he rolled off me and gave me time to catch my breath again.

As I looked up I could see a smug look on his face. “I hope that will teach you a lesson. Never claim that the best use of the god of lies and mischief is that of a mattress.” He laughed.

He sat up on the bed and looked over to the clock. I followed his gaze and saw it was nearly 11:00 in the morning and I looked confused. Yara would normally wake me around 9:00.

Loki must have seen my look as he explained. “Lady Eir told Yara that she would be better to let you rest and wake up on your own. It’s good for your body to set your own pace the next few days. How do you feel?” Loki asked, worry clearly back on his face.

I took a moment to sense how was feeling but I felt almost normal. I did not feel tired or dizzy or anything. “I feel normal to be honest. Like I’m fine.”

I could feel Loki look me over to see if I was lying and I could not help but feel sad that he worried that much. It had not been my intent to cause pain or problems for anyone. I concentrated on my link with him.

_“Loki I really feel fine. But if it makes you feel better this way you can feel how I feel.”_

I saw a smile cross his face and saw the little tension leave his shoulders.

_“Thank you for that Aurora. Sorry if it seems that I did not trust you. But I was afraid you were only saying so to make me feel better. I know you will not lie to me as I would sense it but there are levels of omission people can use to get past me. But I should know better and know you are sincere.”_

I just smiled at him but I could feel a bit of sadness flow through me and before he could think it was because of his words I explained.

_“I’m just sorry that I made you feel this way. It was never my intent to cause you pain or trouble. But please Loki if needed. Just use the link if you are in doubt. I want no secrets between us if possible and it would only even the playing field with you having access to my feelings. As I have free access of yours.”_

This earning me a smile. And I felt a bit like our bond had grown stronger overnight. It was Loki who moved from the bed first.

“I have a meeting with my father to go to. We are discussing Renfield this morning.” He admitted. “I have prepared a statement in your name and I hope you will read it.” He moved his hand and there was a document which he handed to me.

As I read his words I noticed it was a rendition of what happened between me and Renfield like I had told him last night. But when I got to the part where I used my magic the details were off. Instead of what happened it stated that Shadows wounds had not been very severe and with the help of Muriel we had been able to stop the bleeding and tend to Shadows wounds. There was also the mentioning of Muriel using elvish herbs to heal Shadow back to relative health again.

I looked at Loki and was about to mention this when he started talking.

“We do not want to let the court know about your abilities. Muriel agreed that if the wounds were not very severe he could have used elven herbs and remedies to make it look as if nothing had happened. To be honest the best point to get Renfield will not be the damage he did to Shadow, but the fact that he threatened you and scared Shadow so much your life had been in danger. Seeing that you are royalty and under Odin’s protection if founded guilty he will not be let off lightly.”

I nodded not sure how I felt about that. The worst thing for me was what he did to Shadow. But I knew Loki knew the ways of Asgardian law better.

“Then I agree with the statement but why does it need to be written and not delivered by me personally? Also, does Odin know what really happened?” I asked as I looked at him.

Loki looked down a bit. “We cannot tell the court about your magical exhaustion. So, the story is that with the stress and the shock of the whole ordeal and you being half Æsir you got sick. This making you need to rest and therefore not able to attend the trial. As to your other question yes, father knows but I could not sense what he felt about it. Mother has told him about your seidr but I could sense some unease from him when I told him that you could heal Shadow. He is a magic user himself but he does not like any possible dangerous powers. But mother and I did our best to get him to see you are not dangerous and I think he is fine with it now.”

Loki waved his hands and I saw him change his clothing to his formal leathers. He also had redone his hair as it was all back in place. He looked at me as I was still sitting in bed with the bedding covering me to keep me nice and warm and he smiled.

“I do not think there will be a lot of problems with this trail. We have not only your statement but also Muriel’s and stable hands who saw him lead Shadow away. They will deliver their statements as well today. It depends on what Renfield will say but I suspect it will not be much and I probably will be able to tell you the verdict tonight. ”

I was a bit uneasy with all of this. I hated lying and while I knew why it had to be done I still felt funny about it. Not only the fact that I would now appear frail in the eyes of the Æsir as if I couldn’t have something like this happen to me without breaking down in sickness.

“I just wished we didn’t have to lie about things. I hope people won’t think me a scared frail idiot after this.” I huffed drawing the blankets tighter around me.

Loki took a few steps and sat next to me on the bad and placed his hand on my leg on top of the blanket. “Do not worry Aurora. The people who know you will not think any different of you for falling sick. As far as I can tell the nobles are more upset with Renfield attacking someone of a high station than your sickness. If a princess under the protection of Odin is not safe at court, then what could happen to their cushy life. That is the thing they are troubled with and why Odin must make an example of Renfield. Otherwise this might undermine a lot of his credibility. As for the nobles, there is nothing more important than feeling above the normal people and merchants who live outside of the palace.”

I could feel the disdain pouring off Loki and to be honest I was glad that even born a prince he still felt this way. It was the small irritation I had with Thor sometimes. He was so wrapped up with being a prince and warrior that the normal people or soldiers in his stories always were nothing more than a nuisance or cannon fodder.

Loki stood as he needed to get going. “Aurora I think it’s best if I went from my own room. Would you mind me using the passageway so I can get back to it? We might not want people to see me come from your room in the morning.” With this he smiled mischievously as if he was daring me to disagree.

I just smiled and waved with my hand. “Let’s not get my reputation any more tarnished than it already is.”

With a laugh from Loki he left through the bookcase. I contemplated going back to sleep for a moment but I decided against it. So, I called for Yara. After a few moments, she entered my bedroom and smiled as she saw me sitting up.

“Princess Aurora how are you feeling this morning?” she asked cheerfully.

I could not help but smile as her warmth and soothing presence filled the room.

“Yara, if I proposed something to you that I know was not the norm will you promise you won’t get mad at me?”

Yara smiled a very big smile. “You know I already promised you I would not Princess Aurora.”

Indeed, she had but I just wanted to make sure. And I waved at her motioning to sit on my bed as she did.

“I don’t want to offend and I hope you will see this as how it’s meant. It’s meant as a token of friendship as I would be totally lost without your help. When we’re alone in my room would you mind it if I asked you to call me by my first name and loose the title of princess? It would mean a lot but I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

She sat there for a moment with big eyes looking at me but after a moment a smile formed on her lips again. “I would consider it a huge honor.” And after a short silence she added. “It would be a huge honor indeed Aurora.”

 “Thank you Yara. That makes me happy.” I said as I smiled back.

After that she helped me get dressed. I decided to stay in my room seeing as Loki had told me they were playing the “I’m sick” angle in the trial today. So, we decided that again I would be dressed in a fresh nightgown covered in the overcoat. Yara and I talked and joked comfortably for the rest of the morning and around one o clock there was a knock on my door. Yara answered it and it was Sif.

She crossed the room towards where I was sitting and smiled. “Aurora it’s good to see you up and about. We were worried when we heard what happened. Thor and the warriors three are at the trail hoping they can get their hands on Renfield. But I thought that I would check on you and maybe if you wanted have some lunch together?”

I smiled at Sif and nodded. I was warmed by her thoughtfulness. We hadn’t had a lot of one on one girl time with each other and I liked the idea very much.

“Thank you Sif I'd like that very much.” In the corner of my eye I could see Yara signal me that she would make sure she would get us some lunch.

One on one time with Sif was a blast. We had our lunch and on her insistence, we drank a bit more wine that I normally would making us very giddy. She was just telling a new story about Fandral getting in trouble pursuing the ladies.

“So there we were in the ballroom with Odin and the former ambassador of Alfheim.” She laughed. “As they reached the corner of the ballroom, Fandral fell from behind one of the pillars with one of his conquests right on top of him. Thank the Norn’s her dress obscured most of the view of their coupling but you can imagine the face of the elven dignitary. He was so shocked and furious he left the same night and vowed that he never witnessed such debauchery and would never come back to the barbaric Asgard.” She snickered. “After that they had a hard time filling the position and that is how we got Prince Muriel as ambassador. He at least does not have any trouble with our Asgardian norms.” she laughed.

I could not help but have an all-out giggle fit over the story and did my best to not imagine Odin’s face as he found Fandral.

“O my god Sif.” I hiccuped. “Did Fandral get over the embarrassment?” I could not help but ask between giggles.

Sif looked at me as if I had grown feathers on my head and laughed hard. “Fandral and embarrassed?” She snickered even harder. “O Aurora he was far from embarrassed. He’s quite the exhibitionist. So, after Odin and the ambassador moved away he just got up and went back to it behind the pillar. As I heard from the woman he was with. The whole thing had turned him on and he took her three times after that. She could not walk straight for days.”

This making me nearly choke on a sip of wine and my eyes went very big. Causing Sif to laugh even harder.

“Aurora you are looking like a shocked maiden.” She giggled making me laugh again.

To be honest I did not know if I was a virgin or not but the thing I was wondering was how normal sex was in Asgardian court.

“Sif what are the rules here at court about sex and relationship? I know that at the elven court people can only touch hands and while behind closed doors they might do more. But it’s a big taboo there to get caught.”

Sif looked at me with a glint in her eyes. “And who told you about the rules of intimacy in Alfheim?” She cooed and I could not help but blush a bit.

“Well it was Muriel. But it was not like you think!” I nearly shouted as I saw her eyes widen and her smile brighten on her face. “I asked him if he could give me tips on navigating the elvish court as I’m gonna visit it soon.”

The mischievous smile was still on Sif’s face as she replied. “Yes Aurora, I am sure that is the only reason why elves would openly talk about such a subject with a female. And do not think I did not notice that you are on first name basis with Prince Muriel. Not to mention our little conversation about what type of man you like”

I laughed hard and placed a pillow over my face as there now was a full out blush on it making Sif only laugh louder. After getting myself under control again I removed the pillow and saw Sif looking at me expectantly.

“No, there is nothing going on between me and Muriel. While he is very handsome he’s been a good friend. He has not made any move to suggest he’s otherwise interested.”

“Well then you make a move!” Sif exclaimed.

And I couldn’t help my jaw to drop.

Sif got a bit serious as she asked. “Do you really not know how these things work in Asgard?” She asked.

I just shook my head and she continued.

“Here in Asgard things are a lot easier than in Alfheim.” She started. “There is no stigma on a man or woman for having sex. When both partners are willing and not otherwise courting anyone sex is a normal thing. While we usually are not as over active as Fandral it’s normal for men and woman to enjoy sex. Even if they do not want a relationship but just want to have some fun together. It’s even quite acceptable for same sex couples to enjoy each other.”

This was news for me and to be honest I was glad. I always thought that if people liked each other they should be free to be with each other. No matter what their gender.

Sif was looking at me to gage my reaction.

“Honestly I’m glad it’s not as uptight as in Alfheim.” I said relieved. This earning me a smile from her. “But and forgive me if this is a stupid question. What about pregnancy? If people are free to engage in sex without a relationship or marriage does that mean there a lot of illegitimate children? I have heard Volstag curse and seeing as he uses the word bastard for the angrier ones it does not seem a good thing to have a child out of marriage.”

Sif looked at me with an almost sad smile on her face. “It’s actually quite hard for an Asgardian female to get pregnant. Even when actively trying it might take hundreds of years before she succeeds.” She looked out in the distance for a moment. “That is why there are not many children at court. Usually if it does happen that a child is born out of casual sex then the parents are quite happy. Some decide to marry saying it’s a sign of the Norn’s that they are meant for each other. Others just acknowledge their child claiming the child and therefore making sure it’s not a bastard. But those men are very much involved in the rearing of their child. They know it’s a blessing to be granted a child. Not all Asgardians are lucky enough to have one.”

This did answer a question I had because the lack of children had come to my attention. I just thought it was because they were housed in a different part of the palace as to not disturb the nobles.

I looked at Sif and I could not help but ask. “And when two people are in love? What is the normal thing to do then?”

Sif smiled. “It’s different with different social statuses. The lower born just declare their love and usually get the blessing of their parents. Then they marry. When you get to the rank of the noble’s the suitors ask permission from the parents and when accepted there is to be a courting period. In this period, they can display affection like holding hands and kissing in public. After a longer period this usually ends in marriage.”

I nodded and I saw a bit of a gloom set over Sif as she started talking.

“For Royalty like Thor it’s different. He will probably not marry for love. His match will be for the good of the realm. Most likely it will be a princess of another country or the daughter of a very wealthy noble whose elegance helps the throne. They court for a while and she can wear the official colors of the prince at parties. If they can stand each other they are married. They will not force the marriage if they really hate each other but usually the two in question find a mutual understanding.”

I put my hand on Sif’s leg as I could feel her sadness. “I’m sorry.”

She smiled a sad smile and then she added softly. “That is why I was kind of cold to you in the beginning.” She admitted. “You are a princess so I kind of thought you might have been here as a match for Thor.”

My eyes grew wide as I looked at her. “Sif I promise I’m not here to get myself a husband. I will not be married off to anyone. If I was to marry it would be for love and I can honestly say I have no such feelings for Thor. I like him like a brother and friend but nothing more.”

Sif gave me a true smile again. “Thank you Aurora. While I know I cannot have Thor the way I would like. I do think it will break my heart when he does finally meet his match. We are great friends but I worry when he gets a wife I will not even have his friendship. I always had this fantasy where he would fall in love with me and Frigga would make Odin see reason and allow us to marry. I am a highly born noble woman so it would not bring shame to him. But Of course, it's all fantasy as Thor does not even notice me in that way.”

I smiled as I saw her face cloud over thinking about it. “Then we just have to make him see reason.” I smiled at her. “I bet that in the current setting he does not even notice you’re a woman and just thinks of you as one of his men.”

I saw Sif think. “But I cannot go and change myself just for him Aurora.” She countered.

“I’m not asking you to. We just need to grab his attention. Tell me is there a place the men usually go to get some how do I say it….. company? I don’t see Thor as a celibate person. But he is busy at official gatherings so unlike Fandral it’s not like he can sneak behind a pillar. So, he must have a way to get some female attention.” I said as I thought out loud.

Sif laughed at my Fandral comment. “Well usually Thor and the warriors three occasionally do sneak into the village dressed as commoners. They usually end up in a inn and drink and find themselves some willing partners.”

I nodded as I thought up a plan. “Is it abnormal for a female friend to join them on such a night out? Like say if you and I would join. If it is like you say and fine for a woman to have sexual contacts just like men, it should not be weird for you to ask if we could join them, right? You can even say that I was curious about Asgardian men and you are taking me out to see some specimens.”

Sif looked at me like she still had no idea why I wanted to do this. “No, it would not be weird for us to join they would even like it. But why would Thor care I was there? I have been out with him on several occasions.”

I laughed at her words. “Well because if we were to go we could dress a bit more provocatively I mean we are looking for men, right? And I’m sure without your armor Thor will see the warm-blooded woman that you are. This said woman might act like she had a few beers too many and say behave a little more provocative than usual? Maybe complain a bit about the lack of real men to satisfy her needs?”

Now I saw a glint of mischief rise in Sif’s eyes. “Thor does kind of have a big ego.”

I nodded and smiled. “And he might have the need to prove that he’s man enough. I cannot promise you he will fall in love. But at least he would know you are not one of the men. The rest would be up to you.”

Sif laughed out loud and shook her head. “Aurora you are deceptively cunning. No wonder Loki likes you so much. He should be worried you might steal his title. Goddess of mischief might actually suit you.”

I laughed with her. “I think it’s wise not to antagonize Loki.” I grinned. “I would hate to see what he would do when angry.”

“That is very wise.” Sif answered. “I experienced firsthand that things can get out of hand when he gets mad.”

I raised my eye brows and Sif started the story of how Loki had cut her hair off leaving her now with dark hair instead of her original blond.

I looked at her with big eyes.

“How did you ever forgive him?” I asked not knowing Loki could be that vindictive.

Sif shrugged. “For centuries I did not. But in the end, it was that push I needed to get over my looks and concentrate on becoming a warrior. So, I could not stay mad at him because he did me a great favor. But while I am not afraid of Loki I still do not want him as my enemy.”

At that moment Yara entered the room. First I thought it was because it was near dinner time but then I saw the worried look on her face.

“Princess there has been an uproar at the trial. I do not know the details but there is gossip all over the servant’s quarters. I fear something might have gone amiss.” She said with a curtsy.

Sif was out of her chair in a moment. “Shall I check what has happened?” She asked.

I did not know what to do for a second. “Loki promised me he would inform me of what happened at the trial.” I looked at Yara. “Is the trial over?”

 She shook her head. “It’s not over but they have stopped for the day. I saw the hall clear when I went past.” Yara took her leave leaving me with Sif.

“Knowing Loki he will be here shortly.” I told her. “He might not be in the most pleasant of moods but you’re free to stay and hear what he has to say.”

Sif shook her head. “I think it would be better if you two can talk privately. If you do not mind I will leave and find the warriors three or Thor to find out what happened.”

I nodded and she got up. I followed her so I could show her to the door. Before we reached it she turned.

“Aurora thank you for this afternoon.” She said and she hugged me. “It’s good to have a female friend to talk to. And even better when it’s a good person like you.”

“Thank you Sif I feel the same.” As we exchanged smiles I opened the door. Immediately we heard the voices of Thor and Loki in the distance. As we stood there for a moment the sounds grew louder. I could hear anger in both their voices but not what they said. As they came closer Loki noticed me and Sif standing in the doorway and he stopped talking. He gave Thor a nod and walked towards my door. Sif gave me a small squeeze on my arm and walked over to Thor. As Loki walked past me into the room I felt a wave of anger rise from him as he passed.

I closed the door behind him and walked back to the sofa where I took my seat. For minutes Loki just paced my room. Fury radiating from him.

“Loki what’s wrong?”  I asked. “I don’t know what happened but please calm down a bit for me.”

He just looked at me and continued pacing and I let him for a moment till I just could not take his tension anymore. I stood up and walked towards him. Hoping it would calm him like before I put my arms around his waist and pulled him in for a hug. At least it would stop his pacing.

His arms closed around me in an instant but still I could feel his anger and now that I was touching him it was even more overwhelming. “Loki please is there anything I can do to help you calm down?” I asked as a shiver went down my spine. It was so unusual to see him this mad.

He let out a deep sigh and moved us over to the sofa. He sat down and pulled me into his lap placing his arms back around me. “Just give me a minute.” Was all he said as he buried his head in the crook of my neck.

So, that was what I did. I placed my arms around his neck. Softly using one hand to stroke his hair and after a few minutes I could slowly feel his anger lessen. While it didn’t go away I could feel some tension leave his body till he moved his head from my shoulder and leaned back against the sofa. I turned so my legs were still over his lap but my back was resting against the pillows stacked against the armrest. I looked at him to see if he was ready to tell me what had happened.

As he took my hand he started his story. “Things seemed to go as planned today. Your testimony was read and then Muriel and the stable boy gave their testimonies. Then Renfield was called to the stand. We were expecting him to tell a version of the story that would be quite similar but with the difference that he did not try to hit you and was only trying to protect you by finishing his training of the horse.”

I nodded not wanting to interrupt while he was speaking.

“As he took the stand he really was a sight. While most of his injuries have been healed, he was covered in bruises and pretended to limp and he had one arm in a sling. Trying to get more sympathy. Then he claimed that he was not to blame for the whole thing. He claimed you had asked him to separate Shadow and place it in the other stables. He claimed you were worried that an untamed horse would upset the other horses. So, he did what you asked. He told the court that he left you and Shadow alone but he had a gut feeling something was not right. So, he ventured back and that is when he found you beating the crap out of Shadow with a whip. He said he tried to make you understand that he would not stand for anyone hurting an innocent animal. You then threatened him that you would make sure he was buried in the darkest dungeon if he would breathe a word. You then continued to hit and punish Shadow. He claimed the animal’s punishment must been because you tried to ride the beast only to be refused or hurt because he was not tamed yet. He told the court that the other day you had manipulated me into getting the horse for you. Even when he told you it was not tamed yet. But you liked a challenge. But when he saw you hurting Shadow he decided to intervene. He tried to take the whip from you but in the struggle Shadow panicked and bit him in the shoulder. He said that you laughed and again started to hit both him and Shadow, when the horse broke out. After that you shouted and frightened Shadow so bad that you made him jump through a stable wall injuring himself at the same time. Hoping you would rid yourself of a witness. He claimed you drove Shadow to flee and planned to let him to die. Only your plan was interrupted by the arrival of Muriel and a stable hand you changed your plan and feigned distress and asked the prince to help you find your horse.”

I just stared at Loki in full disbelief. Not able to say a thing as my brain tried to wrap itself around what I just heard.

“Aurora, the worst part is that there are no actual witnesses to what happened in the stables. The stable boy only saw Renfield get the horse. Muriel only saw you run panicked from the stables. The other stable hands only heard you shout that they should get help because someone was wounded before you took off with Muriel.”

I looked at Loki. “But Shadow was there.” I said with a trembling voice. “Surely when they see how he reacts to Renfield and then how he reacts in my presence that must be enough to make people believe me?”

Loki shook his head. “That’s what I said. But Renfield replied that since you have magic that you could use it to influence Shadow. Odin has rescheduled the hearing for tomorrow morning. But now they are demanding you be there in person to answer Renfield’s accusations. It will be your word against his. I am worried he will play the card that you are only half Æsir and that this might be the barbaric ways of your human upbringing. While it’s hard to believe, this might win sympathy from the nobles. Forcing Odin to at least let Renfield free because of the lack of evidence or worse send you back to Midgard.”

I shook my head and paled.

Loki placed his arms around me again pulling me close again. “Aurora I will not let them send you back to Midgard. Even if I have to leave Asgard and find a place safe for the both of us I will. But I will not let them send you back where I cannot be to keep you safe.”

This made a lump form in my throat that I tried to swallow away. “Thank you Loki. But I cannot let you do that. I cannot let you destroy your life just to keep me safe. I will fight this anyway I can but if I’m to be exiled we must sever the connection so you can keep your own life.”

I could feel his anger flare up again. But I pulled back so I could look him in the eye and I used our connection.  _“Loki please don’t fight me on this. It’s not that I want us to be separated but please feel how I feel. I cannot let you give up your life because I’m in trouble. I will accept any and all help from you but not at that cost. Please promise me you understand.”_

Through our bond I could feel the war raging inside of him but he could also feel my protective feelings for him and he should know by now that I would not hurt him to save myself. After staring at each other for a few moments I could feel him calm a bit.

 _“Then we better make sure that scenario does not happen.”_ Was his reply and I could feel that even though he knew my point he had not given up on his stupid plan. But he was right. We would fight that battle if we came to it. It was useless to do so now when we still had time to figure things out.

“Loki you are your father’s advisor and sorry to be so blunt but his lie detector. Why can we not just have you state that he is lying and that I’m telling the truth?” I asked as I looked at him.

Loki shook his head. “Renfield is more cunning than I thought. With his statement, he said that you manipulated me into buying you the horse. Right there he placed the seeds of doubt in the minds of the nobles. So if I would testify to his lies and your truth he will just claim that I was still being manipulated by you. I know that our friendship has already sparked some nasty gossip about us. Since I am not the easiest one to befriend.” He stopped a bit as he looked to the floor. “Aurora I am sorry but there are rumors that we are lovers. People seem to think that the only reason why we are friends is because we are having sex.”

Again, my mouth was open and no words were coming out.

“I am sorry about your reputation.” Loki said softly. “The noble people at court are horrible and I hoped you would not find out.” I could feel shame rise in Loki as he blamed himself.

“Loki stop that.” I said more harshly than intended and his head snapped back up to look at me. “I don’t care at all about what the nobles say. And I don’t care that they think we are lovers. Let them believe that all they want. After my talk with Sif today I learned some more about the Asgardian culture about sex. There is no shame for people to have bed partners if they want. So I know it’s not a big deal even if it causes gossip.”

I could feel relief wash over Loki as he softly nodded to my words.

“The funny thing is.” Loki confided. “That most nobles have let’s say very peculiar sexual habits themselves. So, I do not even know why such a rumor would phase most of them. But that is the workings of the court for you. Gossip about a person doing something normal but behind closed doors they do much worse things themselves. As long as they are not the bud of the gossip themselves everything is good for them.”

I understood what he meant and while I never liked this whole court interworking’s I was now beginning to despise them.

“Loki in normal proceedings there must have been times people were accused of lying. Like before you were born with your gift. If not backed by hard evidence how would they normally prove their guilt or innocence.” I asked.

Loki thought about that one. “In the old day’s people would go to the frost giant witches and ask their help. But only desperate people did this as they always have to pay a steep price. They might claim their firstborn or their servitude for several years. But with relationships bad with Jotunheim that has not been done for centuries.”

Suddenly I thought back to the first time I woke up. “Loki do you remember when I woke up for the first time after 2 years?”

Loki nodded but looked at me strangely. “Yes why?”

“You scanned my memories. You and Frigga wanted to make sure I was not lying and you placed your hands on my temples and looked inside.”

I could see Loki remember. “Aurora but it would still be me who told the story and my word is not enough in this.”

“But you’re not the only one with magic.”  I countered. “Who possesses enough magic to do what you did and at the same time be neutral enough people would believe?”

As I said that I could see Loki’s mind race. After a few seconds, he looked at me. “Mother could do it.” I saw a frown fall over his face. “But she has been very clear that she’s quite fond of you. If Renfield would question her word too It would not help her situation at court. But then again she’s the queen. Even if he would question her word father still has no choice but to believe his wife. And I am sure she would be willing to do it for you.”

As his words hit me I realized I couldn’t put Frigga in such a situation. Not if there was another option. “Loki could your father do it?”

Loki looked at me with big eyes but still he answered. “Yes he could. But Aurora he would be free to look at anything. While I can promise you, my mother would respect your privacy I cannot say the same for my father. He might look at anything he wants and if you were to resist it would hurt a lot.”

I took a moment to process this but I still thought it would be a better way and not compromise Frigga’s standing at court. “But if I ask Odin does he face the same consequences as Frigga? Will people hold this against him too or will they accept his word?”

Loki shook his head. “They will accept his word without argue. His word is law and they believe this. If Odin would declare your story to be true, there would be no one to doubt it.”

In that instance, I knew that it had to be Odin. “And do you think he would do this for me?”

Loki let out a big sigh. “I truly do not know. People know Odin has magic. But to actively use it on another person in front of an audience. You know of the taboo. I really do not know if he would do that.”

I could feel Loki’s worry. But I still thought it was our best chance. “Then I think I must ask him this. Do you think I can talk to him tonight?”

He released his hold on me and gently moved me so I could stand.

“There is only one way to find out.”  He said, stress clear on his face. “Please call Yara and have her help getting you dressed. I know my father is in his chambers and I shall ask. But In case he says yes please be ready when I get back. He’s not the most patient of men.”

He turned towards the door like a man heading to the gallows as I called Yara.

Luckily as always she was in my room in minutes and she helped me dress appropriately in record time. As we walked back into my main chambers Loki just came back.

“He’s awaiting you in his chambers. I tried to request mother’s presence too but he would not allow it. Nor will he allow me to accompany you. So, if you want to do this you must go now. But please Aurora I beg you to ask my mother. She would be happy to do so.”

I shook my head. “I’m sorry Loki but I can’t. Please just walk with me to your father’s chambers and let’s get this over with.”

We left my room and headed to the doors at the end of the wing. I could feel nerves creep up in my stomach but I knew this would be the only way. As we reached the door to Odin’s chamber it opened without us knocking. I looked at Loki and I just squeezed his hand and without another word I entered Odin’s chambers alone.

It was the same room as I had been in before. I was led through another set of doors and there Odin was in a chair in front of the fire. He looked at me expectantly and I dropped into a curtsy and stood waiting for him to begin talking.

“Aurora, my son has informed me that you wished to speak to me.” He motioned towards the empty chair in front of him and I walked over and sat down. “I can only guess that this has something to do with the trial.”

I nodded. “Yes, Loki told me what happened today and what Renfield said about me.”

“And now you are here to ask me to take your word over Renfield’s?” Odin asked with a deep tone in his voice.

I took a deep breath. “No, not precisely. I know that my words are true and Loki confirmed this. I know you hold great respect for your son’s abilities so you must already know this. But he explained that his word has been questioned in the court. Therefore, I understand that you are placed in a difficult position. You know I’m telling the truth although it’s been edited to leave out that I magically healed Shadow. But you cannot use Loki as the source of truth if his allegiance has been questioned. People might not trust Loki this time and it would put distrust in your ruling.”

Odin nodded but said nothing.

“When I first awoke after being in the healing ward Frigga asked Loki to scan my memories. He looked at them and confirmed I told the truth. While I know Loki cannot be the one to do so at court there are more people with enough magic to do so.”

I could see a frown pass over Odin’s face. “Now I understand why Loki wanted his mother present. You want her to look at your memories tomorrow and declare you are telling the truth.” Odin nearly barked.

I shook my head. “No, I don’t want Frigga to do so.”

I saw Odin look at me in surprise.

“Loki told me that because she has claimed me to be like a daughter to her this might put her in hot waters with the nobles at court. I don’t want to put her in a position that could hurt her.” I shook my head as I continued. “I would never do that to her especially when I know she would do it even if it had consequences for her.”

I paused for a bit as Odin looked me over and I tried to grab all the courage I had and continued.

“I wanted to ask you to do it. Loki told me that you would be able to do it without being questioned or mistrusted. He also told me there is a taboo on performing magic on other people in Asgard. But it’s the only thing I can think of where I can truly let people know I’m telling the truth about Renfield. Without causing further trouble for the people around me.”

I looked at Odin but his face was unreadable. He looked over to the fire as he was thinking. I just sat there giving him time. Suddenly he turned back towards me.

“You know that if I were to go into your mind I could look at anything I want.”  He said as he looked at me. “Not just the Renfield incident but I could see anything I chose to look at and if you would try stop me it would hurt you greatly.”

I nodded.

“And still you would go through with this?” Odin asked in disbelief.

“Yes, I want justice for what Renfield did and I don’t mean for the fact that he threatened me. To be honest I don’t care about that. I want justice for what he did to Shadow.” I saw Odin did not recognize Shadows name.

“It’s what I call my stallion. He’s the one that truly got hurt not me. But please Odin I beg you. If you do decide to look into my memories. Please watch all of it. Watch the part where I find him near the beach and how bad he was hurt. Then you can see what Renfield did and I hope you can see why I want justice for Shadow. He looks fine now. If you decide not to help, please talk to Prince Muriel he was there and he can describe the state Shadow was in. If I had not intervened, he would have died right there on the beach.” I could feel a lump rise in my throat and I had to blink away tears of anger that threatened to spill.

Odin scanned my face and I had to do my best not to look away under his gaze.

“Aurora I will do what you ask.”  He said suddenly. “Tomorrow at court when it’s your turn to defend yourself ask for the right of verification by magic. I will see the whole incident and then by right I will ask Renfield if he wants to submit his version of events. I will compare his version of the truth with yours and then I will give my verdict.”

I could feel a weight fall of my shoulders. “Thank you Odin this means a lot to me.”

His reply was colder than I would have liked.

“Do not thank me Aurora. The reason I do this is to protect my family. The loyalty of my son has been challenged and I know Frigga will come to your defense if I will not take this task. But I must admit that I am grateful you came to me with this first and not put my wife in a position that would cause her harm. For that reason, I will give you my word that I will respect your privacy and only look at the events needed for the trial.” And with a wave of his hand I was dismissed.

As I walked to the door I could not help but turn. “While I understand your motivations and know it’s not for me that you do this I still am very grateful. As I told you before I would never deliberately try to harm your family and I meant that. Thank you, Odin, for helping me keep my word.”

I could see a small smile form on his lips as he nodded. I curtsied and left the room. As I reached the hallway I saw Loki was pacing furiously. When he saw me he was at my side at once and I grabbed his arm for support as suddenly I felt really tired.

“Aurora how did it go?” he asked nervously while we made our way back to my room.

I let a small smile cross my face. “It went well Loki. Your father agreed to look at my memories. He also respected me for asking him and not placing you or Frigga in a potentially bad light. He gave me his word that he would only look at what happened.”

I could see and feel the relief wash over him as we entered my room. I was glad to see a small dinner for two placed on the table. I was tired and Loki and I silently ate our food. When I was full I looked over at Loki.

“Loki after all the stress I’m very tired. I think I can use the extra hours of sleep. I don’t think the trial is going to be much fun tomorrow.”

Loki nodded. “Do you think your nightmare might return tonight?”

I made a face of disgust when I thought about that. “I really don’t know but I’m not looking forward to it if it does. I need to be fit tomorrow. I don’t want to look weak.”

Loki took my hand. “Then go to sleep now, call Yara and let her help you. I will go to my room because I still have a few things to do. But if you are alright with it I will use the passageway to come back and I will keep you safe from nightmares for one more night. Tomorrow Renfield will be dealt with and then we will see if you can sleep alone without having them. But tonight, you will need a good rest.”

I could not help but hug Loki. “Thank you for doing all this for me. Thank you for keeping me safe. Thank you for being my friend and advisor. I really don’t know what to do without you.”

He just softly stroked my back. “I just do all the things that you do for me Aurora. We have a bond. I will keep you safe and you will keep me safe.” And with a small kiss in my hair he left.

Yara helped me get dressed for the night and within a half an hour I was in bed. I tossed and turned for an hour after that but then I felt Loki climb in bed next to me. Within seconds I was in his arms and sound asleep.


	16. Chapter 16

The next morning I woke with Loki already awake and looking at me.

“Good morning.” He smiled and I slowly stretched to wake myself up a bit. But his arms were still around me making it difficult as I bumped against him with each move I made. I could not help but notice the mischievous glint in his eyes and I knew was doing it on purpose.

“Loki you know two can play that game, right? I would advise you not to start something you’re not prepared to finish.” I said as I glared at him.

I felt laughter bubble up in his chest and I wasn’t able to keep my face straight and I joined him in laughter.

“Aurora I know better than to underestimate you in anything.”  He said when the laughter had died down again. “But just know that I’m trying very hard right now not to take you up on that offer. Seeing as mischief is in my nature.” He said as he smiled.

His smile being way more charming then anyone had a right to be first thing in the morning. I just slapped his arm and pulled out of his grip. My mind went back to last night and I remembered what I had to do today.

“How late do I need to be ready for the trial? I asked Loki and I could feel my mood drop a bit.

Loki looked over to the clock. “We need to be in the main hall in about an hour and a half.”  He said and I could feel his mirth also die down. “If you don’t mind I will collect you from your room and escort you to the main hall. There you will stand with me and Thor while the trial starts. Your name will be called when you need to give your statement. There will be a slight raised platform. Thor will escort you to the platform. We thought it best to show the crowd you have his allegiance too and not just mine.”

I nodded. “I guess Odin will ask me to give or defend my testimony?”

Loki nodded. “Yes he will. He told you what to say?”

Again, I nodded. “Yes, He told me to ask for verification of my testimony by magic.”

Loki flopped back on the bed and looked up at the ceiling. “In the old days that is what people would have asked for when they wanted the help from a Frost witches of Jotunheim. It will cause quite the uproar in the crowd I’m sure. I’m also sure that the crowd will be a vast deal bigger now that a princess her word is questioned.”

I could feel myself getting really antsy. I knew I had to do this. But I wasn’t looking forward being the center of attention in a big spectacle. I hoped the crowd and its feelings would not overwhelm me. Though I had a bit of practice these last few days in the dining hall big crowds still were not easy to navigate. But I decided to put that out of my mind as I would know soon enough.

There was still I thing I wanted to know so I asked Loki. “Loki, is there a certain way I should dress? Does Yara know how to dress me for this kind of situation? I can imagine this is highly unregularly.”

Loki looked over at me a clear frown on his face. “I think its best you look as royal as possible. It’s good to remind the nobles of your background. Making them sympathize with you over your status and not with Renfield. But I think its best that for today you avoid anything green in your dress.”

I looked puzzled. Loki loved green and had complimented me before when I wore a dress in green.

He seemed to get my line of thought and he smiled. “You look lovely in green Aurora. But we don’t want people to think about you being mine. It might cause more speculation and we do not need that today.”

Now I looked at him even more perplexed. “Do you mean that anytime I wear a green dress people thing I’m yours? What am I a color labeled possession?”

Loki shook his head in laughter. “No Aurora you are not. The green in your dresses are not the same as my signature color. So it’s not a statement that we would be courting. But you know how people love to gossip. But today you will use your wardrobe to make a statement. We just want that statement to be that your royal and not that a different shade of green is still green. You know they already gossip that we are lovers. I just want to avoid any more unforeseen events with this trial.” But he softly added. “Even if people would assume you were mine, if you wear my colors I would never see you as a possession. You are your own person and I’m just glad that you can stand my company and friendship.”

I could feel he was very serious as he said this. And it made me grin. I flopped over and put my head on his chest and my arms around him. “You know I’m only with you because I just cannot help the fact that you are so comfortable as a mattress.” I grinned with and even bigger smile making him laugh loudly.

“Aurora I will let you get away with this one only today. But remember my titles if you continue to tease I might just have to find a way to fight back.” He said with a mischievous tone.

I raised myself and my hands in the air. “I surrender.” I laughed. “Sif told me the kind of things you might do when pushed to far and I really like my red hair.” I grinned.

Loki just smiled at me. “With Sif and her hair I learned that a punishment needs to fits the crime. What I did to Sif was much more severe than she deserved.”

Loki got up from the bed and walked over to my side. “I’m gonna leave now to go to my room and get ready. I will get you in about an hour and 15 minutes. Please whatever you do at the trial try to keep calm and if possible look as much as a bored royal princess s you can. You know what the nobles are like. They like to see someone who they can look up to. If you get angry or emotional they will say that’s your human side and we don’t want that.” He shrugged his shoulder in disgust. “It’s so disgusting with them. When it’s a man and he gets angry he’s brave and a warrior. If a woman shows anger she’s uncivilized and lowborn.” Again, he shook his head and sighed. “I swear the woman at our court are so snobbish, spoiled and vain. I don’t see how Thor can stomach any of them.”  

With this he turned to the bookcase and left. I could not help but wonder about Loki’s words. While I knew what he meant I had never wondered about his taste in woman. I knew Thor, Fandral and even the rest of the warriors three bedded women. As Sif told me yesterday but she never mentioned Loki and I could not help but be curious. But as soon as I caught myself wondering about that I reprimanded myself.

“I need to focus on other things now.” I said aloud trying to get Loki’s sex life out of my mind and I called for Yara. I had to be careful that my interest in Loki’s life would not tip over in me getting interested in Loki. I had to keep in mind that while we were very close with our bond. It did not mean he wanted me like that. Hell, for all I know he might prefer men. I felt a lot of feelings from Loki. But desire and lust were something I never felt from him. So, I couldn’t say. Right then Yara entered the room and I had her to keep my mind occupied.

I told her what Loki had said about how I should look and dress. While she searched for the right outfit I decided to take a bath to relax a bit. When I walked back into the bedroom dressed in my underwear I saw the most beautiful dress on the bed. It was a midnight blue and would look amazing against my hair and pale skin. She helped me put it on and I found it had a neckline that was a bit deeper than I would normally wear. It was lined with a corset that accentuated my breast and waist even more. The whole dress was very beautiful. It was sparsely decorated with small stones who sparkled lightly. Making it look like it was covered with tiny stars. The further down the dress the more stars there were. Yara pinned up my hair with flowy curls and framed my head with soft locks falling down so my face was still framed. She added my bracelets on my arms and the tiara on my head. As final piece the necklace was placed around my neck and I changed the stones to match my dress. As I stood to walk to the mirror I noticed that the hem of the dress seemed quite long. I had to do my best not to step on it.

I looked to Yara in confusion.

She smiled as she opened a different part of my clothes cabinet and reached in. When she held her arm out I saw the most beautiful shoes in my life. They were high boots made of supple blue leather and had lacing on the front. They almost came to my knee. They had quite a platform and heel.

“Queen Frigga suggested them.” She smiled. “She said it would give you some height and even display your figure more. Also, she thought it would give you something extra as a woman tends to move more gracefully when in heels.”

She made me sit on a chair and we lifted the dress. I was glad she helped me to put them on. With the corset I could sit but bending over and picking something from the floor would not happen today.

After lacing the shoe she got back on her feet and gave me her hand so I could stand. I walked around the room and the hem of the dress fell perfectly. Frigga had been right. The shoes where very comfortable and I was not scared to walk in them. They did give me a confidence and grace in my step that I did not have with the lower heeled shoes. As I walked back to the mirror again it was a bit weird to look at myself. I loved the way the dress looked but I got the feeling it was just not me. Sure, I looked royal and very glamorous but now more than ever I felt like I had to play a role. But I thought back at what Loki said and knew I had to. Today I had to be a cold royal bitch as to not alienate the nobles. I took a deep breath and looked at Yara. But she smiled at me and instantly I felt better.

“You look amazing Aurora. It’s hard for me not to call you Princess Aurora when you look like this. But to be honest I like you better in your normal clothes.” She added with a small smile.

I could not help but return it. “I know what you mean Yara. While it’s an amazing dress and I look very over the top. I must admit that I rather look normal. But today I have a reputation to uphold so I must act princess like and be noble, bitchy and snobbish.” I said as I smiled at her.

This causing Yara to laugh loudly. “Aurora I’m happy you asked for me to be your handmaiden. I cannot imagine anyone having this much fun when serving someone.”

I was honored by her compliment and when we walked back towards the main room there was a soft knock on the door. I looked at the time I knew it had to be Loki. So, I motioned to Yara that I would go. As I opened the door I was indeed greeted by Loki in his formal clothes standing on the other side. I could not help but want to toy with him a bit.

“Good morning my Prince.” I said with a very cold and snobby voice. “Are you here to officially escort me today?” I asked and did my best to look at him very calm, cool and snobbish as I’ve seen the ladies of the court do.

Loki did not miss a beat as he bowed gracefully and presented me with his arm. “Good morning princess.” He said in a regal sounding voice. “I was tasked by my father to escort you today.”

I nodded a small nod and took his arm and we began our track towards the great hall where Odin would be.

While we walked, I felt a small tingle in the back of my neck. _“Aurora you look absolutely beautiful and royal today. I know that I told you to act like those horrible nobles. But it’s almost frightening how well you are pulling it off. I must tell you to be mindful around my brother like this or he might propose on the spot.”_

I knew he was joking because I could feel it. But I could also feel he was trying to see if I would laugh and I would not let him win that easily.

_“I’m sorry to disappoint Loki but maybe he would be a good match for me. Seeing as he is a prince and I’m a princess. Sif and I were talking about joining Thor and the warriors three when they go out into town one of these nights. So, who knows what might happen.”_

I knew, Loki could feel I was joking but he abruptly stopped in the midst of the corridor and looked at me with big eyes. I could feel his shock over my words and it was clearly written on his face too. I pulled his arm and motioned that we needed to continue and he got himself under control again.

_“Loki relax. I was joking about the being a match for Thor part. You were trying to tease me so I it was only fair I retaliate.”_

I could see him look at me from the corner of my eye.

 _“But you were not joking about joining them to go to the tavern?”_ He replied.

I could not help but wonder why that would be important.

_“No not about that. But it’s because I want to help Sif get a man she has her eye on. And she can hardly expect any of them to help her.”_

I could feel Loki’s confusion again. _“But I was under the impression she was interested in Thor?”_

It shouldn’t have surprised me that Loki would have known about Sif’s interest in his brother. He was very observant after all.

_“That’s why I kind of proposed that we would join. wearing something more evocative and get that oafs attention on her. He’s far too compliant in seeing her as a warrior and fighting buddy and not able to see her as a beautiful woman. But she needed and excuse to join them and I offered to be that excuse.”_

I could feel understanding and mischief come from Loki.

_“I think that might be a spectacle I would actually enjoy to witness. Seeing the shock on my brother’s face when he realizes Sif is actually a hot-blooded female.”_

I smiled but as soon as it registered tried to put on a calm face again.

 _“Then you should join us the next time they go to the tavern._ ”

I was a bit surprised as I could feel a sense of darkness come from Loki.

_“I will not show my face there Aurora. I’m not like Thor, I actually do care about my reputation and my appearance is far more uncommon to go unnoticed in a place like that.”_

I could not help but give a small snort.

 _“Well it’s too bad that you don’t know anyone who might be a master of illusions and capable of changing his appearance as he pleases.”_  I replied.

I knew very well he could change his appearance as he had shown me several different ways illusions work while teaching me.

I could feel his mirth at my words.

_“You are devious Aurora. I might just do what you suggest and meet you there. But we will make it a game. I will be there in the tavern when you go. But I will be covered with an illusion and it will be for you to find out who I’m. But I warn you I won’t make it easy for you to find out.”_

I must say I was intrigued we had talked about sensing magic and while I had no problem in doing it when magic was used on me. I found it hard to sense it when it had been used on another person. But at that moment we reached the main hall so I only had time for a short answer.

_“Deal.”_

I concentrated on looking calm and royal when entering the hall. It looked like the whole palace had turned out. At one side of the room I could see Renfield looking smug but I ignored him. All where there in the great hall but Odin and Frigga. Loki ushered me to where Thor was standing and placed me in the middle of them on the first steps of the stairs leading to the throne. I could see a flash of confusion flicker on Renfield’s face as Thor gave me a friendly hug.

I was taking deep breaths as I was fighting to stay calm. It was a large crowd and I was trying to keep all the feelings in check. Ignoring them and focusing on me. There was a loud bang to get the crowds attention and Odin and Frigga entered. Odin led Frigga to the top of the steps on the same side as where me, Thor and Loki were standing. He gently kissed her hand and released it to take his seat on his throne. He then banged his staff on the floor.

“Ladies and gentlemen.” He bellowed in a deep voice. “We are here for the second day of the trial versus Master Renfield. Today Princes Aurora Wiliamsdóttir will be asked to the stand in order to verify her written statement.”

Thor raised his arm and I placed my hand on his arm as he led me to a little raised platform in the center of the room in front of Odin. As he helped me to gracefully walk the steps I held my head high. Ignoring everyone except Odin.

Thor stood next to me and bowed to his father. “My king I present to you Princess Aurora Wiliamsdóttir.” And with a small bow towards me he left to take his place next to Loki again. I took the time to curtsy deeply before Odin. I saw his hand motioned and I stood up again trying to look calm and snobbish.

“Princess Aurora Wiliamsdóttir.”  Odin’s deep voice bellowed.  “Today we are here to uncover the truth in the dealings between you and master Renfield. We have heard your written testimony and we have heard master Renfield’s testimony. There seems to be a discrepancy between them. This is the testimony we have all been given yesterday.” Odin moved his hand slightly and a servant gave me a scroll. “Princess would you kindly take a moment to read the testimony and tell us if this is indeed how you remember the incident.”

“I would be glad to my King.” And I unfolded the scroll and quickly scanned over the pages. I could see the same text Loki had read to me the day before. I rolled the scroll back up and looked at Odin.

“My King this indeed is the testimony I have given and I stand by its truth.”

The servant once again came and took the scroll from me. He walked back up the stairs and handed to scroll to Odin. He took the scroll and he also read its content.

With his deep voice he said “I too declare the content of this scroll to be identical to the one read aloud yesterday.” There was a murmur from the crowd but Odin jut continued.

“Princess I must ask of you do you have an explanation to why your testimony is so very different from that of master Renfield? He asked.

I did my best to stay calm and cool while answering. “Yes, my King I have. My explanation is that master Renfield is deceitful and has lied not only to the nobles in this court but to you the Allfather himself.”

I could hear an explosion of whispers and sounds from the crowds behind me. Odin had to bang his staff several times on the floor to get the room back under control again.

“Princess why do you think this court should believe you over master Renfield?” He asked in a cold voice that gave me the shivers. But I suppressed them.

It was now that I had to formulate my reply carefully. “My King, not only am I a princess by blood, I’m also a high-ranking noble in your court. I would never dishonor you or your court by having the audacity to lie before you. Therefore, I’m deeply mortified by the accusations of master Renfield whose deceitful words not only dishonor you but also your son and this court. But they also dishonor my reputation and that of my family. Therefore, I see no other option than to ensure I’m cleared of any suspicion beyond a shadow of a doubt. I therefore humbly ask for verification of my statement by magic.”

If I thought the sound of the crowd had been loud before the sound now was positively wild. I had to do my utmost best not to flinch or turn to see the masses behind me. From the corner of my eyes I saw Renfield’s jaw drop. But I did my best to stand still and block the massive wave of sound and emotions behind me.

Odin took a moment before he used his staff to get the room back under control. When all was silent he waved to what looked to be an advisor and they deliberated for a moment. I took a second to look at Thor and Loki. Loki looked calm but Thor was looking positively bewildered. On the top of the stairs I saw Frigga looking at me with a worried frown on her face. It was clear to me that nether Odin or Loki had filled her in on the plan. After a few moments the advisor left Odin’s side.

“Princess Aurora Wiliamsdóttir.” Odin’s massive voice rang trough the hall. “I have spoken with my advisor and we have come to a conclusion. As there is no way for us to contact the frost witches and master Renfield has thrown suspicion on the truthfulness of the word of my youngest son we see only one solution.”

Internally I laughed. Odin just mentioned the distrust of Loki’s word out loud. I knew enough from what I have learned from Frigga to know this would end badly for master Renfield.  For if I was cleared from lying master Renfield would now not only have disrespected the house of Williams but also that of Odin. But I remained calm as I looked at Odin as he finished his words.

“I will agree to your request. To put to rest any and all suspicions anyone might have I will perform the act of magical verification myself.” He said loudly.

Another but more silent gasp went thought the crown.

“Princess Aurora do you consent if I King Odin Borson, king of Asgard will be the one to perform this verification? I will see the truth of what happened that day and you will be judged according to what I see. I will warn you that any attempt of deception will not be possible and any hindrance of my quest for truth will be utmost painful.” He said in a deep and menacing voice.

I made another deep curtsy as I spoke. “My King it would be my honor to show you what happened that day and restore the validity of my word and the honor of my family.”

Odin nodded and raised his hand in gesture. “Prince Thor, will you escort the princess so she can kneel before me.”

Thor bowed to his father and marched over towards me. I placed my hand on his arm as he helped me decent the small steps of the platform and helped me navigate the steps up towards Odin’s throne. When we reached the throne, I lowered myself in a kneeling position lowering my head in respect for Odin as Thor bowed to his father and went back to claim his place next to Loki. After a few seconds I felt Odin’s hand on my shoulder and I looked up. He placed his hands on the temples on each side of my head and with a soft voice so only I could hear he asked me to look into his eye.

I could feel the now familiar tingle of magic as I stared into his eye. Again, with a soft voice he asked me to think of the day in question and I thought back to when I left my room wanting to go and see Shadow. It was very strange and I could almost see my memories play out in my mind as a movie. I did my best to stay calm even with the cold marble floors hurting my knees. I just stared in Odin’s eye and tried my best to stay calm as I had to relive all the emotions I felt that day.

The anger when I found Renfield hurting Shadow and the horror of him stabbing the poor animal after he saved me from Renfield’s whip. The fear in Shadows screams and the helplessness when he galloped away in the distance. I held nothing back form Odin and from what I empathically could sense of Odin was that he was not only was seeing my memories but somehow was also feeling the feelings I had that day. I felt them echo inside of him. When he reached the part where I touched Shadow for the first time when wounded I could almost see him flinch. I felt an echo of the pain I had felt that day wash through my body and echo from Odin. It was nearly done now the last memories of Shadows wounds were closing and I could see Loki run towards. And as I collapsed in the memory I had to do my best not to collapse gain. Odin closed his eyes and removed his hands from my temple.

I had to fight with everything I had not to sag down as a spineless marionette. There was anticipating silence in the crowd and I remembered I had to look strong and collected. I gripped my hands together to keep them from shaking. It was Odin’s voice that pulled my focus back to the courtroom.

“Princess Aurora Wiliamsdóttir I have witnessed your memories of that day and you have cooperated fully. I there for ask my son prince Thor to escort you back to the side as I will ask master Renfield some questions.”

Within moments Thor was at my side and with a shaking hand I took his as he helped me up. I tried to look graceful but I was still shaking and my legs hurt from the cold marble making me walk stiffly. As we reached the top of the stairs I could feel Thor use more force in his hold than normal and I could lean on him for support. He was making sure I would not fall down the stairs and hurt myself and I was glad for it. I managed to get down the steps without looking weak and once again I was positioned between him and Loki. I thought once there Thor would lower his arm but he didn’t. He placed his other hand over mine so I could keep his arm as support and not show the shaking of my hands to the public. I could feel Loki’s concern next to me but I did not want to risk to use the link in public to reassure him. As I was afraid I might let my cool and calm façade slip.

It was Odin’s voice again that shook me back into focus. “I ask master Renfield to be escorted to the dais.”

The cool looking man who had stood there before now looked very nervous.

“Master Renfield.” Odin started. “I have witnessed the memories of Princess Aurora Wiliamsdóttir. In all fairness, I would like to offer you the same option of magical verification. If you accept I will look at your memories of the day to see if they match your statement. You are free to decline if you wish but then I will render my verdict on the princess her memories alone. What is your answer?”

Master Renfield looked very displeased and for a moment he seemed to be getting quite angry. But I could feel him get his emotions under control.

“My King I must object to this most unusual form of verification.” Master Renfield said with a loud voice. “There is a reason for this type of magic not to be used in centuries. It’s not right for the princess to force the use of magic on anyone. For how do we know that she did not change her memories using magic herself? She is after all gifted with seidr and I ‘am not.”

In an instant Odin was standing as he bellowed. “You dare question the powers of your king? You suggest that a half mortal who is not fully trained in the ways of seidr somehow is more proficient at it then the Allfather himself?”

Master Renfield now visibly shook as he saw the impact of his words but Odin continued.

“I the Allfather personally guarantee that if you do this I will see the whole truth. Now I demand your answer. Will you allow me to see your version of the truth?” He said a bit calmer.

I could not help but feel sorry for Renfield as a silence fell over the court as people waited for his reply. He was doomed if he did and doomed if he didn’t. But he had brought this on himself. Still the man on the dais shrank to half his former size. His shoulders sagged down and his head hang lowly.

“I decline the offer of magical verification.” Was all Renfield could say before the buzz in the court erupted again.

I could feel Thor softly squeeze my hand as he softly whispered. “I never doubted your honor Aurora and I’m happy to see it restored.”

I could also feel Loki’s back of his hand brush my free hand softly. It was folded in the layers of fabric of my skirt. So, the gesture had been out of view from the crowd. As I looked at him he gave me a small smile and a wink before he reclaimed his calm look and he focused back on Renfield again.

The crowd was still very unruly and loud. Again, Odin banged several times to get the room to still again.

“People of Asgard.” He said as he stood from his throne. “I have witnessed Princess Aurora Wiliamsdóttir her memories of the event. I’m happy to announce that they are the same as she described them in her statement. Furthermore, the refusal of master Renfield to verify his memories has been seen by the court of Asgard as an admittance of his lies. I will now take the sometime to deliberate with my advisors. In two weeks we will reconvene for the charges against master Renfield and the sentencing. Guards I demand you take this man to the dungeons but make sure he is well enough to receive his punishment tomorrow.” 

With that the guards closed in on Renfield who collapsed into a snickering pile and he was dragged away without any dignity.  With that Odin left the room and Frigga walked down steps to reach the three of us. As soon as she reached us she embraced me in a warm hug.

“My dear I’m sorry you had to relive that horrible day.” She said as she pulled back to look at me. “I saw as soon as Odin made the connection that he not only connected to your memories but also the emotions. I can only imagine what pain you must have felt that day as saw Odin nearly flinch in public when you relived them.”

I could hear Loki’s voice behind me. “That’s why she’s shaking.”  He said in an angry tone and I turned to face him. “You had to relive the pain again.”

I nodded but then noticed Thor looking at us and I realized he didn’t know about my empathic abilities. He only heard the official version of the story the court had heard. Loki and Frigga seemed to realize their mistake too. While Loki always complained about Thor being stupid he really wasn’t and I could see him look at me carefully.

“Aurora what is this pain they refer too?” He asked with a gentle tone is his voice. Surprisingly softly for his usual loud manner.

It was Frigga who intervened. “My son may I ask you to postpone your line of questioning? I would like to invite the three of you to a private lunch in my room if you don’t mind. I feel that we better continue this conversation there.”

Thor had no choice but to accept his mother’s invitation. She told him and Loki to go ahead and arrange the lunch as Frigga and I would make our way back more slowly as I was still weak. Loki understood this was a subterfuge so we could talk but Thor took his job most serious. Assuring us that lunch would be ready upon our arrival and they both took off into the crowd.

Frigga led me to a side door so we could walk the more quiet halls back to her room.

“My dear, I’m sorry that I gave away your secret. I know my eldest son. He will not rest before he has at least part of the truth.”

I knew her slip it hadn’t been on purpose and even I had forgotten Thor didn’t know. “There is no blame. It was a mistake and to be honest I’m glad that I won’t have to lie to Thor after this. He’s a good man and I don’t like lying to him not even by omission. If I’m honest I rather have him know the whole truth about me. Even the Fenrir part but I don’t want to discredit you and Odin. You know your son best. Do you think I should tell him all or just the empath part?”

Frigga was in thought for a moment. “My son is an honorable man who values his friends. I think if he learns the truth and the fact that it was Odin and me who suggested the subterfuge to keep you safe he will not hold this against you. He is one of the few people who does not hold fear towards Fenrir. As he loves his brother and the wolf is an extension of his brother. I believe that we should tell him the truth because he would never place himself above the rest of his family and he’s assured to keep your secret.”

“Thank you.”  I said as a weight was lifted off my shoulders.” Can I ask you to help me tell my story? I think it will be better coming from you and Loki. Then I will tell him about what really happened with Shadow and answer questions he might have.”

Frigga just nodded and I was glad to have her help. I still worried about loosing my friendship with Thor. I hope he would not end he found out I had lied to him. When we reached Frigga’s room we entered and saw a fully decked table and Thor and Loki waiting for us.

Frigga motioned me to the sitt between her and Loki and as we started filling our plates. Loki waved a magical barrier in place to keep our conversation private. Thor was mostly quiet when Loki and Frigga retold the story of how I came to Asgard and how I have been here for the last two years. When he heard that I was no princess he looked shocked.

“Father made her a princess when she was not by blood?” He said in a surprised voice. I could remember Loki reacting almost as shocked when he had heard back then.

Loki continued the story by telling what happened with Fenrir and what they found out when Lady Eir examined me.

Again, he looked at me with disbelief. “So her magic has the potential to be more powerful then Loki’s.” he said and he looked at me with big eyes as I just sat there and nodded.

After my whole origin story had been told he was silent for a moment. But then he focused on me. “But what about the pain my mother mentioned before.” He asked.

I told him about me being and empath. That my power was stronger when I touched someone. I told him about the severity of Shadows wounds that Renfield had caused. I told him that Shadow couldn’t be helped by Muriel and that he would die. I told him how I healed the horse fully with my magic and explained that mean touching Shadow and feeling all his pain.

Thor just sat there and shook his head. “And that’s why father nearly flinched today when he relived the pain you felt.”

I nodded. “To my defense I didn’t know he would feel my pain. He knew the full unedited truth about what happened before I asked him to verify my memories. So, I did not hurt him on purpose.”

Thor nodded. “And you all swear this is the absolute and whole truth.” He asked the three of us. “There is nothing left out I might find out later?”

The three of us swore him almost simultaneous that this was the case.

Thor just nodded again and he turned to me. “Aurora then I feel nothing has changed. While I’m sorry I was not informed sooner, I know this was not you’re doing. This I will take up with my father. In my eyes, you are a princess because my father has declared it so and he has the power to do so. As for your magic and abilities, I know you are a kind person and I have faith in my brother’s teachings. Your secrets are safe with me and I will protect them as the rest of my family does. You have my word on this.” He places his fist over his heart and gave me a small bow.

I could not help but tear up. “Thank you Thor this means a lot to me.”  I said as I placed my hand on his arm. “ I was afraid that you might think less of me when you found out. I would have hated losing your respect and friendship.”

He gave me a warm smile. “Aurora I know I have my faults as any man does. But I do not turn my back on family or friends.” With that he finally started to eat his food and I was glad to have the whole thing sorted.

After lunch Loki asked what my plans were for the rest of the day. Now that I had some time to relax during the lunch I felt energized again.

“I really think I would like to see Shadow. I haven’t seen him since this whole thing happened. I want to see how he’s doing.” I admitted.

Loki smiled. “I actually think that’s a good idea.” He agreed. “Do you think you are up for a riding lesson? We could see how Shadow reacts to you and if he is not ready yet I could give you a lesson on another horse.”

I smiled and nodded fervently. Even Thor told me he would come by the stables later to see how I was doing. He told me that now he had head so much about Shadow he wanted to see him for himself. I thanked Frigga for the lunch and left to change my dress. Frigga told me my riding clothes had been finished and delivered to Yara. She added that she would love to hear if I had any feedback on the design. She made me curious when she said commented she designed them herself so that they would hopefully be very functional on our trip to Alfheim. I nearly jumped out of my seat to get dressed. This making Frigga and Loki laugh. We agreed that Loki would stay with Frigga for a moment so I could change. He told me to come get him when I was ready and I nearly ran towards my own room exited to see what Frigga had designed for me.


	17. Chapter 17

As I walked into my room Yara was already there. She congratulated me with the trail and was very happy my reputation had been cleared. Although she made it clear that she had never doubted me which I was very happy to hear.

I told her I wanted to go and ride she immediately went to work. She started with helping me out of the elaborate dress and put away my jewels. Then she braided my hair in one big braid leaving some small locks from the top part a bit loose so it would still frame my face. But it wouldn’t cause trouble while riding she said. Then she took out the riding costume. As she pulled out several items the first thing that made my heart skip a beat was when I saw it had leather pants. I nearly screamed out of joy! Pants I had not worn pants in forever and I secretly had missed them.

The pants where made of black leather and very supple and as I pulled them on they molded to my body perfectly. Yara told me the whole outfit was spelled so it would cool or warm me according to my own body temperature. Making sure I could be comfortable while riding. Suddenly it made sense for Loki and Thor to be comfortable in their layers of leather even when it was quite warm. She did explain that the spell worked to a certain degree. If traveling in snow or ice I would still need a cloak and I would still get warm if the temperatures would rise very high. She showed me the cloak to go with it with very cold weather but she assured me that for now I could leave it off. As it wouldn’t be cold enough. She then handed me a very soft fitted tunic like shirt. It looked a bit like the sleep tunic Loki wore. But it was a lot tighter. The tunic was in a darker teal color. Still colorful but not so much that I would be very visible while riding. She explained that the darker colors would attract less attention in fields or city’s. I was surprised the neckline dipped quite low. But then I saw that over the tunic you had to wear a black leather corset looking item. To my delight I found that it gave a lot of shape and support but remained very supple and easy to move in. Over the leather pants there were black leather boots with dark teal accents. They were knee high lace up boots with a low heal.

As I looked in the mirror I laughed. Like this I looked almost like a version of Sif’s battle armor but with leather instead of metal. But there were still a few more items. As Yara lifted the next I saw it was something resembling a skirt but with a wide split all the way up to the waist in the front. The colors were the mirrored. The skirt was mostly the dark teal but now with little black accents. She connected the skirt to the corset with tiny hooks and as I looked in the mirror the outfit looked a bit more like a warrior dress. The boots and pants clearly visible as I walked through the big split in the front. I could imagine it working well while riding because I could still ride with a leg on each side of the horse. The whole look just screamed a mix between bad ass warrior and princess and I quite liked it.

The last thing Yara had was a long leather overcoat. It was black with dark teal accents. It reminded me a bit of Loki’s leather riding coat but this was a bit more feminine and almost Victorian again. There was a simple latch holding the coat closed at my waist and from the waist down it opened quite a bit to sow the skirt and pants. It had a v-shaped neckline plunged down to my waist accentuating the corset and the small bit of cleavage it showed. Yara showed me that if I was cold I could unhook the lapels and then fasten them in the front closing the whole coat from waist to neck.

With the coat now on I again looked in the mirror. Frigga had outdone herself I looked beautiful and badass at the same time. The dark teal colors brightened all the black so I would not look like an evil assassin. But it was not an overwhelming as my bright dresses would be. This keeping it simple so I would not be an easy to see target from miles away.

My red locks of hair loose around my face and then the simple braid down my back making a bright contrast against the black and teal. The supple leather felt heavenly against my body and the low heals walked very comfortable. As I walked I saw the skirt and coat trail behind me in the wind and felt very empowered by this. I could not help but laugh at how good this outfit felt. I thanked Yara for her help and I nearly ran to Frigga’s room so I could thank her. I knocked and one of her handmaidens opened the door. I flew in and saw her and Loki had moved to her sitting area.

I loved the way Loki looked as he saw me walking in. His eyes went big and a large smile formed on his lips. Before any of them could say anything, I ran over and hugged Frigga.

“I love it.” I nearly squealed in her ear. “I feel like a warrior goddess, it’s so comfortable I might never want to wear anything else.”

Frigga laughed very hard at that. “My dear I’m very happy you like it. To be honest it’s a combination between Sif’s and Loki’s armor. I just added a few things so it still would look like feminine and princess like.”

I laughed. “It’s absolutely beautiful. I would say you could have an amazing career as fashion designer but I think your current occupation of queen would still top that.”

She looked like she thought it over for a moment. “I don’t know.” She grinned. “Sometimes I could not help but whish for a simpler life. But I’m blessed with Odin and I love him dearly so I do my best to stand by his side.”

I smiled as I felt the warmth in her words. I was glad she loved Odin. I don’t know if they had been an arranged marriage or not but I was happy they found love. I hugged her again when Loki suggested we better make our way to the stables. I said my goodbyes to Frigga and followed Loki. As we walked down the halls I could see my new outfit interesting people as they seemed to stare a bit. It made me a bit self-conscious and Loki seemed to pick up on that.

“Aurora don’t worry. You look beautiful and I’m sure when they hear my mother has designed your clothes half the palace will want a version of their own. I think it’s more that they stare because of the trial then because of your current outfit.”

I smiled at him for his kind words but I was glad when we reached the stables and were away from the prying eyes of the nobles. Loki led me over to a large stable block where Shadow and a few other horses where housed. He explained that his and Thor’s horse were in the same stables. We both thought it best for me to see Shadows alone and not crowd him to much in case he was skittish after everything that had happened. I entered the stable block and walked towards the last stable where Loki had informed me Shadow would be. Before I could reach his stable my way was blocked by a young-looking Asgardian man.

“I’m sorry my Lady but there is no one allowed near the last stable.” The young man said and I could see clear determination in his eyes.

“And why not?” I asked surprised at his refusal to let me go near Shadow.

“The stallion in the last stable belongs to Princess Aurora and has been through enough the last week. Prince Loki has ensured his wellbeing into my care and therefore I will not allow anyone near him. He is still a bit weary after all that has happened. Prince Loki made It very clear that only himself or the princess could have access to him.” He said quite politely.

I could feel that he meant what he said and he was beyond determent to keep me from Shadow. I also realized he had no idea who I was. I was glad Loki had put so much thought in Shadows protection but I could not help but want to test this man.

“Well I’m a high born noble and I want to see the horse mentioned in the trial. They said that he is quite te specimen and I demand you to step away and leave me be.” I said with a cool and snobbish voice.

I could see him tense but he remained polite. “I’m sorry my Lady, but without direct permission of Prince Loki or Princess Aurora I will not let you pass.”

To his credit he did not move an inch and I could feel his resolve.

“What is your name?” I asked more friendly now.

“My name is Arturo my lady.” He replied clearly not sure why I was friendlier now.

“Thank you Arturo for taking such a good care of Shadow. I would like to introduce myself. I’m Princess Aurora and I’ve come to see how Shadows doing.” I could see a flicker of doubt cross his face.

“I’m sorry for tricking you but I wanted to be sure Shadow was safe if anyone would try to get you to move.” I said and I turned around and called Loki who almost immediately entered the stable. As he walked over I saw him eye Arturo.

“Loki could you please confirm who I am to Arturo. He’s doing an amazing job in looking out for Shadow but I guess you forgot to tell him how I look.” I said as I could not help but grin when I saw Arturo blush at my words.

I could see realization dawn on Loki’s face. “Arturo, I’m sorry for this mix-up. This is Princess Aurora Wiliamsdóttir and Shadow is hers. So, you can be assured that she is the last person in the nine realms who will not harm him. You can let her pass.”

Arturo bowed deeply and immediately made room so I could go to Shadow. Loki and Arturo stayed behind as I walked the last few meters.  As I came to his stable I saw his curious eyes look at and he sniffed the air.

“Hello Shadow how are you doing.” I said in a calm voice so he could hear me and immediately he moved forward and walked over to the stable door. Sticking his head out over it and shoving his big nose in the crook of my neck. Gently sniffing and rubbing his big head against my cheek. I threw my arms around his huge neck for as far as they would go and gave him a hug. As I touched him I could feel he was well and happy to see me. I could even feel a warm feeling that that felt a lot like a combination of love and gratitude.

I just patted his neck as I softly talked to him. “I’m glad you are alright my black prince. I’m so sorry what that horrible man did but I’m glad I was able to help you.” I took a step back as he lifted his head so we could look each other in the eyes. “So has Arturo been good to you?” I asked as I motioned towards where Loki and Arturo stood watching us.

As if he understood Shadows looked over towards them and softly whinnied as he saw Arturo and I could feel another burst of warmth come from him as he looked at the stable hand.

“I’m glad you like him Shadow. He’s a good man so be sure not to cause any trouble for him you hear.” This earning me another soft whinny.

“Now I want to officially introduce you to a very good friend of mine. He’s called Loki.” And I waved  to Loki so he could slowly come closer.

I could feel a bit of tension seep back into Shadow as Loki moved closer. But I softly stroked his neck.

“Don’t worry Shadow he’s alright. He’s my best friend and I trust him with my life.”

Loki was very near now and I held out my hand for him to take. As he placed his hand in mine I slowly pulled our hands towards Shadow. I gave Shadow a bit of room to pull away if he wanted but he moved closer to sniff Loki’s hand. After a few moments, I took a step back and Loki moved closer so Shadow could inspect him some more. Slowly the tension left his strong body and I could feel him relax. I saw Arturo had moved closer during the whole thing inspecting what I was doing. I could feel he was curious to see how I interacted with Shadow.

“Arturo I would like to see how Shadows reacts if I try to ride him. Do you think it’s okay if I move him outside to one of the paddocks? I will also have to learn how to take care of him and how to put on a saddle and such things. If you have no objection would you be so kind to collect all the things we need?”

I could see a flash of worry cross Arturo’s face but he was very silent as if he wanted to object but did not dare to do so.

“Arturo, I will not make Shadow do anything he’s not ready for. Also, if you have any concerns or suggestions please tell me. You have far more experience with horses then I have and I would appreciate your input.” I said to the stable hand.

I could feel relief wash over Arturo. “Thank you princess, I will help the best that I can. I’m just worried because I know Shadow has not been fully trained. So, I don’t know if he will accept a saddle or reigns or a rider. But if you are cautious I think we can see what he does and does not accept. But I do want to use caution and not stress him more than need be.”

I nodded in agreement and Loki turned to Arturo. “If you get all the needed gear then I will escort Shadow and Princess Aurora to the paddock.”

With a small nod and then a bow Arturo went on his way.

I looked at Loki as if to ask what now.

“I suggest you open the stable and see if he will follow you. If not, we will ask Arturo to help.” Loki said as he looked at me.

I opened the stable door and I could feel Shadow getting exited in the prospect to go outside. I placed a hand on his neck and like a small puppy he followed me outside. Loki walked ahead to the paddock to open the door and with just one hand on his neck Shadow followed me. Once in the paddock Shadow looked around interested and I could feel him flex his muscles and look at me.

We still had to wait for Arturo so I just laughed. “Go Shadow go burn off some steam.” Before the words had left my mouth, he was off galloping and jumping around the paddock and looking very happy just running around.

Loki had taken a seat on the fence and joined him happy to look at Shadow run around.

“It’s very strange looking at the two of you.” Loki said. “It’s almost as he understands what you are saying.”

I just shrugged. “I don’t know if he can understand me. But I can feel him and I can feel his reactions. He likes it when I talk to him. He’s very open with his emotions and easy for me to read. That is why I was drawn to him in the first place. I can feel a warmth and friendship coming from him and I know he’s even protective over me. I felt that when Renfield tried to hit me with his whip.”

Loki nodded while he looked at Shadow. There was a sound behind us and when I looked I could see Thor coming towards us.

“Aurora, Loki!” he boomed. “Is this beautiful animal your Shadow?” And he pointed towards Shadow who was still happy galloping around the paddock. I was quite proud that Thor had called him beautiful because in my eyes he truly was.

“Yes, Thor this is Shadow. We know he hasn’t been fully trained yet so we’re trying to see how he will react to being saddled and if he will accept a bridle.” I told him. “The stable hand is collecting the items we need.”

Thor nodded as he looked at Shadow. I could see he was smitten with him and I could not fault him for that as he was a very impressive animal.

I wondered how Shadow would react to Thor. “Thor, I would like to see how he reacts to you. But please we are doing our best not to stress him today. So please don’t be upset if I ask you to back up or leave.”

Thor nodded enthusiastically clearly wanting to see the horse from up-close and he climbed over the fence and into the paddock. As I jumped down off the fence I could see Arturo walking over with a cart filled with horse things.

I placed my fingers between my lips and let out a sharp whistle that immediately got Shadows attention. “Shadow come here if you want.” I yelled. “There is someone I want you to meet.”

It was very funny to see Shadow react and walk over towards where I and Thor where standing. But I could see he was eyeing Thor defensively.

I walked over to Shadow and motioned Thor to stay. As I placed my hand on his neck I tried to calm him a bit. “There is no need to be afraid my love.” I whispered to him and patted his neck. “This is Prince Thor and he’s Loki’s brother. He’s also a friend of mine and he would like to meet you.”

I motioned Thor to come closer. While Thor’s movement where nothing compared with the grace of Loki it didn’t seem to frighten Shadow. As Thor came even closer it was like Shadow wasn’t as tense as he had been in the stables. I made a mental note that this probably was because he had felt trapped in the stables. Now in and open field he felt far more relaxed. The incident with Renfield must have made him mistrust people combined with small spaces.

Thor walked over and placed his hand in front of Shadows nose to let him smell. Shadow did and moved closer so Thor could pet his neck. Thor had a big smile on his face as he stroked the stallion.

He even talked to it. “You are one mighty fine animal.” He said to Shadow as he inspected him and continued to stroke him. “You are a stallion fit for royalty.”

I could swear I could feel a proud feeling wave of Shadow as Thor praised him and I could not help but laugh. Thor looked at me to see why I was laughing.

I softly whispered to him so Arturo would not hear. “I think he understood. As you praised him I could feel a sort of proud feeling come from him.” I grinned.

Thor’s eyes widened as he looked at Shadow. But our attention was directed back to Loki and Arturo who called us over so we could try and saddle Shadow. The three of us walked over to them and I saw the expensive looking gear that Loki had bartered for with Renfield as he had bought Shadow.

Arturo looked at me and asked permission to try and fit Shadow with the bridal. I nodded and walked with him towards Shadow. Shadow looked at us but stood still as we approached. Arturo explained how the bridle should fit over Shadows head and tried to place it in the way he described. But Shadow lifted his head so Arturo could not reach him. I tried to coax him with sweet words to lower his head. But any time we came near his head with the bridle he just stood and lifted his head. Even when I tried to place it on him he refused. I could feel it was not because he was stressed or confused as to what we were trying. He just did not want to wear the bridle. So after a few tries we relented and gave up.

The next step was the saddle. This went a bit better as Shadow did allow us to place the saddle on his back. But the moment Arturo would fasten it Shadow became uncomfortable. It was almost like how you would feel if you wore clothes that weren’t the right size.

“Arturo is this saddle a good fit?” I asked as we both watched Shadow uncomfortable flex his muscles under the saddle.

“It’s a normal style saddle for a horse his size. I checked it before I placed it there is nothing wrong with it.” Arturo replied.

I could see from his frown that he was not happy with the way Shadow kept moving now he had the saddle on his back. But we were interrupted by someone clearing his throat. As we all turned we saw Muriel leaning against the paddock fencing. Muriel was looking at Shadow with a strange look on his face.

“Aurora there is something I have been wondering about since the last time I saw Shadow.” Muriel said as he climbed over the paddock fence. “It was the way Shadow acted after the incident. You were unconscious and Loki and I were doing our best to get you to the healing ward. At the time I just brushed it of but thinking back Shadow’s behavior was different. It was like he was very worried about you. I helped Loki lift you on top of his horse but Shadow never left your side. He followed Loki like he wanted to make sure you were alright. And It has been nagging at the back of my mind since then. I’ve been standing here watching you for a few minutes. How are your attempts of fitting the riding gear going?”

I told him that Shadow was flatly refusing to wear a bridle and seemed to be uncomfortable in his saddle. Muriel nodded and I could feel that this information was sparking something inside him. As he kept looking at Shadow.

“What are you thinking?” I asked and Muriel looked back at me.

“Aurora do you have objection if I talked to Shadow?” He asked suddenly.

It was a strange thing to ask but I could not help but feel that Muriel must have a reason for all this.

I nodded. “Sure, but be careful with him he still has a hard time trusting after what happened.” I warned.

Muriel nodded and took a few steps towards Shadow who eyed him with interest. When Muriel started talking I couldn’t understand a word he said. He was speaking in a beautiful language but instantly I saw Shadows eyes move and focus on Muriel. In seconds, Shadow closed the distance between them and began sniffing Muriel. Clearly Shadows was very excited with what Muriel had said.

Thor and Arturo looked as amazed as I was but Loki clearly had some idea what was going on. As I saw a form of realization clearly form on his face.  

As Muriel walked back towards us it was Loki who asked him the first question. “Is it possible?”

I had no idea what he meant but clearly Muriel did as he nodded to Loki. “I would say it would be impossible but everything is pointing that way.”

Muriel looked at the rest of us and explained. “In the history of the elves there have been special immortal horses. These animals were the companions of the elven kings and queens. After centuries the bloodline of these horses became diluted. They were no long immortal but still they were amazing animals with special gifts. But after the great war that nearly decimated Alfheim the bloodline of these animals was lost. It was a hard blow to my people. These animals were not only beautiful they were far superior to other horses. Not only in strength or speed but also in superiority of mind. The thing that made these horses special was the bond they had with their riders. It’s the horse who chooses its rider and it was a special bond that could not be broken. I suspect that Shadow is from the same bloodline as these horses. I don’t know how Renfield got his hands on him and he clearly had no idea. Otherwise he could have sold him for an absolute fortune in Alfheim. But how Shadow reacts to you and to the elvish language would suggest that he might be from that ancient bloodline. It would even explain why he won’t wear a bridle and is uncomfortable with his saddle. As these horses would not even wear a bridle. They are so attuned to their riders they have no need for one.  They instinctively know where their rider wants to go. They did use a saddle but one very light and flexible made of elven design. Nothing as bulky and heavy as the ones Asgardians use.”

There was a long silence after Muriel’s tale. I had no idea what to say as I just looked between Shadow and Muriel.

It was Loki who shattered the silence. Although it was like he was thinking aloud and not addressing someone particular.

“It did look like he listens and understands Aurora. I just mentioned to her that it looked like he could understand her.” He said as he looked at me.

Muriel nodded. “The bond with the rider has nothing to do with language. It’s more of a mental connection. So even if she does not talk elvish he would still understand her.”

I just blinked and looked at them. “He can understand me?” I asked disbelievingly.

Muriel nodded. “If he has accepted you as his mistress than yes, he will do anything you ask of him.”

Thor was the first who broke the tense atmosphere. “But this is amazing!” he exclaimed. “Please Aurora could you test this? Ask him something.”

He was like a small kid on Christmas and I could not help but laugh. I looked at Loki and Muriel and they just smiled. I could feel Arturo doubting the story but I must say I was very keen to find out if this was true.

“Arturo could you remove the saddle from Shadow?” I asked. “ If I do this I want him to be comfortable.”

Arturo nodded and moved over to Shadow who was still standing close by waiting for what was to come. As the saddle was removed I walked over to Shadow. I could feel four pairs of eyes burn on my back.

“Well Shadow. It seems that Muriel thinks you’re a special kind of Elven horse. That you can understand what I’m saying. I just want to say that even if you’re not able to it’s no big deal. I still love you and will care for you. But they want me to test this.”

I gave Shadow a second but he just stood there looking at me expectantly.

“Ok Shadow.” I said as I took a breath. “Can you please step back four paces?”

Before my eyes Shadow gently stepped backwards precisely four paces. I could hear the collected gasps behind me of our spectators.

“Ok, just to make sure I’m not imagining things I’m gonna ask you for a less normal movement. Shadow, would you turn around once on your own axis?”

And before my eyes Shadow calmly turned around once on his own axis and I could not help but smile proudly.

“As last thing Shadow could you come over here so I can hug you?”  I asked.

Shadow let out a big happy whinny as he nearly raced over and I could place my arms around his big neck and hug him. I could feel him softly push his big head against me and I was filled with a warm feeling radiating between us. Clearly he liked being hugged.

As I released Shadow and turned around I could see a very happy looking Thor. He was bouncing up and down clearly very excited. Loki and Muriel just looked like I was a seventh world wonder and Arturo’s mouth was so far open it almost touched the floor.

“Well that settles that.” Loki said to Muriel who just nodded. “I guess I could use your help in designing a new saddle and gear for Shadow. Do you think you can remember anything that could be of use?”

Muriel nodded. “Yes I think we can come up with something. But I would advise you to seek out my father’s leatherworkers when you are in Alfheim. I think they would be honored to be able to make Shadow something.”

Muriel turned towards me. “Aurora do you think its ok for me to inform my father that a horse of the ancient elven bloodline has been discovered?”

I got a bit nervous. “Will there be any danger for Shadow if this came out? I could not bear it if your father or anyone would take Shadow away from me.”

I could hear a loud angry snort from Shadow as he walked up behind me and placed his head defensively over my shoulder as to dare anyone to separate us.

But Muriel quickly shook his head. “There will be no danger Aurora. Shadow is bonded with you and it would not do anyone any good to break that bond. The horse chooses his master and there is nothing anyone can do about this. But my father might want to talk to you about possibly breading Shadow with the best elvish mares. But just like the bonding it will be Shadows choice if he chooses to breed with the mare or not.”

I looked over to Shadow. “What do you think are you ok with Muriel sending word to his father?”

To my enjoyment he nodded his head in agreement and even Muriel could not help but laugh at that.

“It’s seems we agree.” I said with a laugh to Muriel.

“Then I think we should talk with the leatherworkers.”  Loki said as he looked at Muriel. “Aurora needs to train her riding but without a saddle this might prove difficult.”

My heart sank a bit as I really wanted to ride Shadow for a while and now again I had to wait. I was surprised to feel a soft bump of Shadows nose in my back and as I turned I saw him kneel in front of me. Making it so that I could jump up his back without any trouble. Without thinking I leaped up and threw my leg over his back. As he stood back up my hands found their way to his long mane and he slowly started moving.  I was very high from the ground and hoped Shadow would be kind as this was my first time riding solo on a horse. But I could feel his calm wash over me and I could not help but trust him completely.

Thor loudly laughed as he had watched the whole scenario play out. “Brother while a saddle might be wise it’s seems they both don’t want to wait that long.”

Loki and Muriel looked at Thor with a questioning look on their face but Thor just pointed towards me and Shadow.

As they looked over they seemed to registered what happened and smiled. At that moment Shadow gently started running and I clamped my legs around his torso to try and not fall. We ran a few laps around the paddock when my leg muscles started cramping. He instantly slowed his speed and walk back towards Thor. As he lowered his front carefully to make sure I would not tumble down I could feel Thor’s big hands gently help me down from Shadows back.

I could feel Shadow wanting to burn off some more energy and I made Arturo promised me he would keep watch as Shadow galloped some more in the paddock. Arturo told me he would take care of shadow when he was done. I gave Shadow another hug and promised him I would be back tomorrow.


	18. Chapter 18

The days flew by. When I was not with Loki studying magic, I was in the stables learning how to ride and take care of Shadow. To be honest I was having a blast. It was fun riding with Loki, Thor and even Muriel. We were trying to get me used to long rides but even with the makeshift elven saddle I still had muscle aches after a long day of riding. But thank heavens Asgard has been blessed with warm baths and a wonderful lotion that soothed my muscles. The magic studies also went great. I could now dress and change clothing with a flick of the hand. I could take magical shower like Loki could and do my hair in a simple braid that I used when to go riding. Loki even helped me learn a spell that eliminated the need to go to the toilet. Although that was weird to practice. Let’s just say I practiced that one alone. Sometimes learning these things from a man provided some practical issues. Like learning to change my clothes. Thank god Loki had put up a room divider because the first two times I ended with more clothes on the ground then on my body. But the coolest thing I learned from him was I could store items in an alternate dimension. Loki called this void storage and it meant I could always reach items I had put into the storage. Making it that where ever I was I could access essentials like extra sets of clothing at hand.

Today was a quiet day though. I had been riding in the morning and now Loki was off doing tasks for Odin. So, I had an afternoon to kill. I decided to go to the library. I had a discussion with Thor earlier before I went riding about the visit to Alfheim and he told me he was looking forward to it. But that he dreaded the Elven dances. According to him they were far more elaborate and graceful then Asgardian dances and he always had trouble dancing them. But I didn’t even know the Asgardian dances that I’ve seen at the festivities. They already looked elaborate to dance so if the elven ones where more difficult I thought I better study them. So, here I was looking for books on elven dances in the library. So, I could take a look at them to learn the basics and maybe then practice with Loki without making a total fool out of myself.

Once in the library I asked one of the staff members if there were such books and to my relief there were. She handed me two not to thick volumes and I walked up the stairs to go to Loki’s library. At the top of the stairs I reconsidered. Next to the entrance of Loki’s library there was a bay window with a lookout over the beautiful Asgardian country. So, I decided to sit there and read the books. As I opened the books I saw it had a detailed description of the dances. The main text was used to educate on the tempo and rhythm of the dance and the basic footwork. While there were animated illustrations to show what to do with the hands and rest of the body.

I now got an idea why Thor had difficulty with the dances. Where in Asgardian dances the footwork was important usually the hands would remain mostly the same. The woman would put the one hand on the shoulder of her partner and the other in his hand. With the Elven dances the hands were constantly moving making graceful shapes and then return to the partner’s hands interlocking with his while dancing. Only to change a few moments later.

As I looked at the pictures I also got an idea of the elven females. I saw the males in the illustration look like Muriel and the females where absolutely beautiful. Just as slim and slender as the males. With Very long dresses framing their body’s making them look very graceful. It seemed that contrasting to the Asgardians, the elven people did not focus on the bust part of the female but more on the waist. All the pictures showed beautiful woman with almost impossible hourglass figures.

I was nearly three dances into the book when I heard someone laugh and I looked up to see Muriel looking at me.

“That must be a very interesting book.” He said while smiling.

I quickly repositioned myself. Because at some point while reading it seemed that I tried to sit more comfortable I had rested my back against of the window. Pulling up my legs so I could place the book on my lap. While a very comfortable position I would assume it was not very princess like. I closed the book and I could see Muriel trying to read the title. His eyebrow raised he looked back at me.

“Elven dances?” he asked amused.

“Well yes, Thor commented earlier that they were quite difficult. So, I thought I would see if I could learn more about them and then maybe later practice with someone. But I thought it better to learn the basics first so to not waste their time.” I said calmly. I was a bit annoyed by the disbelief in his voice.

I could see Muriel shake his head a bit while smiling. “Why Aurora I think you’re the only person in the world who would try to learn dancing by reading a book. Even Loki would not attempt that and go to find a dance instructor.”

This bristled me a bit as I thought personally it was the most efficient way to learn the basics and not waist someone’s time.

“Well I think you are wrong.” I simply replied. “It’s far better to learn the basics and not bother someone until you are ready to try the steps.”

“Then maybe we should test your theory.” Muriel replied.

I could not help but gawk a bit as he said that. But he continued.

“You show me which dance you just learned and I will dance it with you. It will demonstrate how much you have learned by reading. If you can finish the dance without fumbling too much I will gladly take back my words.” He said and I could feel the challenge behind his words.

“And what if I cannot do the dance correctly and fail miserably?” I asked.

Muriel laughed out loud now. “Then you must promise me that I can teach you the dances correctly before you leave. But I warn you, I’m known to be a very relentless teacher.”

I laughed as it was clear that ether way it would be in my interest.

“Deal.” I said and I showed him the first three dances in the book.

“Ah, I’m familiar with these dances. Shall we?” he asked as he put out his hand.

I was very surprised. “Here? Don’t we need music?”

“Yes how could I forget.” He said and with a small flick of his hand he made a small box appear. As he opened it I could see it was a very beautiful and intricate looking music box. Then he flickered his hand again and there was a second box with what appeared to be delicate little plates and I supposed those contained the music he wanted us to dance to. He placed one of the plates in the music box and turned the key. There was a sort of a pause button and he pressed it so the music box would not start right away.

“We will start with the first dance.” Muriel said as he shoved a few chairs to the side to make some room.

I quickly remembered the steps and the images of the dance and was very glad that I could almost see the pages in my head like I had the book in front of me. Muriel walked over and took my hand to lead me to the middle of the space he had cleared. With a small flick of his hand the beautiful melody from the music box filled the space and I instantly recognize the rhythm of the first dance. Muriel started to move and I followed. I was surprised to see him perfectly mirror the images of the book and while I was not as graceful as he was I was happy to see I could follow his movements and even keep up with him. As the initial stress of the whole thing rolled away I focused on the melody of the music box and just went with the movements.

The eleven dances where very beautiful when I saw them on the pages of the book but dancing them was like floating on air. Whenever I lost my rhythm for a second Muriel would take the lead and with no difficulty help me through the steps. Making it look like I hadn’t disrupted the dance much. As I was enjoying the dance I could feel a big smile form on my face and I saw Muriel returning it. When the last few notes of the music box dying out so did our dance. I did and elven curtsy as the book had said was accustomed after a dance. I saw Muriel lower in a bow but look over my shoulder in surprised as we heard clapping behind me. I twirled around to see Loki leaning against the wall clapping with a big smile on his face. He pushed off and came walking towards us.

“I did not know you have been taking elven dance lessons from Muriel.” Loki commented as he walked over to us.

Before I could reply Muriel was already doing so. “It seems that she does not need them.” He laughed. This raising Loki’s eye brows.

“I just found her here while she was reading a book on Elven dances. I claimed that she could not learn them from reading a book and she said I was wrong. So, to prove a point I challenged her to a dance.”

Loki looked at me. “And that was the first time you ever danced that dance?”

I looked at them both as they stared at me. “Yes, I just got the book a half hour before and I had just studied the first three dances when Muriel found me.” I admitted.

Both Loki and Muriel shook their head and laughed. “Loki I don’t know how she does it but maybe her reading is magic too.” Muriel laughed.

I got a bit annoyed again. “Well not everything I do is because of my seidr.” I huffed. “It’s just easy when you don’t forget the things you read.” I said as I sat down.

This causing Loki to look at me again. “You don’t forget the things you read?”

It never occurred to me that I never told him this.

“I realized it a few weeks before. Whenever I read a book I just have to read it once. After that it’s in my head and I can access it when I want.” I admitted. It had felt so normal that it had not registered that it might be abnormal to other people.

Loki and Muriel looked at me disbelievingly and I could sense they did not quite believe me. This making me sigh.

“Loki can you summon one of the texts we used last week. You made me read several books any of them is fine.” I said an I saw him nod.

Loki waved his hand and showed me the book. It was the one we had used to learn how to change clothes. While we had focused on that spell I had a tendency to read the whole book because I was curious to see what else it contained. Most magic books were very thin only housing a few spells that were connected to each other but this had been a more substantial one.

“Open the book and pick a page. Tell me the page number but don’t let me see the page itself.” I said and I could feel their disbelief rise even more.

Loki did as I asked. “Page 23.”

I thought and pictured the page.

“The use of material transportation is to allow the user to create and even trans morph items into the desired shape and size. The caster of the spell must be able to requisition and know the location of the desired materials but with this spell you can create and form the items at will. The basic shape and size that is required should be thought out before casting the spell. For Fine tuning the trans morph spell is required. The more accurate the sizing and general idea of the form while casting the less power is needed for using trans morph spell for fine tuning. If the item comes out wrong, it’s often better to recreate from start. Then to use unnecessary seidr to fine tune the item. As this will cost considerable more power. This only works when the required materials are not limited.” I looked at Loki and Muriel as they read along with what I just said.

“Do I need to continue?” I asked as they looked at me in shock. “Of all of the things about me that could make you two look in shock that’s the one that gets that look?” I shook my head feeling sad and annoyed at the same time. I had it with this feeling that I was an anomaly or dangerous weird thing. I just wanted to be normal and not an exception to every rule. I could feel my feelings rise even more as they just kept looking at me and I could see that other people in the library were noticing our interaction. Making me even more uncomfortable.

“Now as I seem to recall a while ago there was talk of you and Muriel talking in private. So why don’t we go into his library and have that over with while were al here. Seeing as I already feel like a big freak show right now.” I added a bit more bitter then I wanted. I collected my books and before they could say anything I opened the passage way to Loki’s library and I went in. I didn’t wait for them to follow and just marched myself to the sofa. I opened the book on elven dancing and continued reading. I could hear the boys walk in behind me but I just ignored them as tried my best to read and calm a bit.

I could hear them discuss my magic and what Loki had found out while teaching me. They were in a deep discussion when I heard Muriel ask the question about the scale of my power. This interested me so I placed the book on my lap. I could see Loki notice but he still answered Muriel.

“With just her level of seidr I would say she is like ten times more powerful than myself.” He confessed making Muriel whistle slowly in response. “But this is only while she is using her magic combined with spells like I do. The downside of her heritage is that she’s half human. This makes here tire a lot faster than I would. We have not tried anything like teleporting or making clones instead of illusions. But I think because of her human background she might be limited in this because of the physical drain on her body. Where I could sustain a double or even more for hours my suspicion is that she can only create on for a short amount of time before she needs to stop because of the drain. So, in that way I’m ten times more powerful then she is.”

Muriel nodded as he looked over to me and gave me a small smile as Loki continued.

“But her ability to will magic to happen without a spell. Even when it does drain her is beyond calculation. To be honest the only beings with that kind of powers are the Norn’s.” He said while again they both looked at me like I was an alien they were trying to study.

While I knew, they would not hold my powers against me I could not help but feel sadness wash over me. I would never be normal and their looks said it all.  I was weird and abnormal and while they liked me. They were not totally comfortable with my powers. I pulled up my legs on the sofa making sure they were covered by my dress and wrapped my arms around my legs as I felt a cold chill go down my spine. It was Loki’s voice that makes me focus on him again.

“Aurora what’s wrong? I know you and you only sit like that when you are upset and try to calm yourself.” He said and I could see Muriel frown.

Muriel looked at Loki and then at how I was sitting. I thought about changing how I was sitting but Loki was right and there was no way I could cover up how I was feeling. I just wanted to avoid the whole thing but I knew he would not let me. Bowed my head till my face was buried against my lap. I could feel a headache coming.

“I just feel like a freak. I don’t know how I got these powers or why. Then every time you look at me like that I feel like a dangerous thing that should be locked up. I’ve heard the saying with great power comes great responsibility. But I don’t want this power. I would give it up if I could and just live normal without the fear that I might hurt people whenever I get upset or angry. I sometimes have nightmares that people I care about scare by accident and I hurt them without meaning to do so. And just now when I told you about my ability to remember what I read. The way you both looked at me.” I could feel tears burn in my eyes but I blinked they away. I was not gonna cry in front of them. “When you look at me like that it’s like I’m an alien or dangerous creature that needs to be handled with caution.”  

My face was still buried in my lap but I felt someone sit down on the sofa. I felt hands reached out and lift me. As I was placed on a lap I knew it was Loki and he was trying to calm me. He placed his arms around me I buried my face in his neck not caring what Muriel might think. I just wanted the calm and safe feeling that being in Loki’s arms could give me.

“I’m sorry for making you feel that way.” He softly whispered into my hair. “It was never my intention and I know how it feels. I have gotten that look and have felt like that almost my whole life. So please believe me when I say I never wanted to make you feel like this.”  

I felt another person sit on the sofa and I felt Muriel’s gently squeeze my hand.

“I’m sorry too. The questions I ask are not because I fear you or your power. It’s because I’m interested in them and to be honest even a bit envious at times. I wish I could remember books like you can.”

I opened my eyes and turned my head so I could face Muriel. I could feel they both meant what they said.

“Thank you, both of you. I’m sorry for falling apart like this but at times it is just hard to be different. I really do know I’m blessed with you both as friends.” I said as I tried to sit back up a bit but Loki made no effort to remove me from his lap so I just stayed there in his arms. It seemed that Muriel had no objections or weird feelings about me being in his lap so I relaxed back into his chest.

“To be honest I’m a bit stressed about going to Alfheim.” I admitted after a moment. “I know you and Thor will be with me most of the time.” I said looking up at Loki. “But you both will need to go over things with Muriel’s father. I know from Sif that she and the warriors three will also be busy meaning I will be alone at times. Here in Asgard I have friends I can count on and your rules are not as strict as in Alfheim. I don’t want to screw things up by doing something wrong or in appropriate.”

Muriel took my hand again. “If you want I could arrange it that I will also be there.” He offered. “I could use the bifrost as I do have a few things I personally want to discuss with my father. Once there I could arrange it so that when Loki is not available I would be and then maybe escort you if you wish.” With a softer tone he added. “You know I long to see the forests of mu homeland. So, I really don’t mind the opportunity of showing you them.”

I could feel Loki’s surprise at Muriel’s offer and I deducted that this must be quite something for Muriel to offer.

I could not help but smile. “That would make me feel a lot better Muriel. If it isn’t too much trouble for you I happily accept your kind offer. But Muriel but please don’t do this if you don’t want to or if it means you’ll get in trouble. I will manage on my own if need be. I could always just lock myself in my room.” I tried to joke.

“Aurora it’s not a trouble.” He said with a smile. “While it’s no secret that my father and I don’t get along, a visit has been overdue for a long time. With you all there it’s even possible I won’t kill my father and have fun in-between things.”

I thought Loki’s eyes would pop out of his head as he heard Muriel joke about his dad. But he never said a thing. While they were getting friendlier each day I wondered if they ever would be real friends again. I still was very curious to know what had been the source of their big fight. But I never dared to ask as Loki had clearly told me he didn’t want me to know and I would not force him to tell me. But whatever it was and with the feelings I sometimes felt between them I knew it was still a sore thing between them. Loki mostly felt sad about the lost friendship. But from Muriel I still sometimes got an almost hostile or resentful feeling. He could remarkably hide it very well but it I could still feel it sometimes and whenever it would surface he would leave the room. We sat and talked for a while but it was Loki who needed to leave. He had some errands to run before dinner. Leaving me and Muriel to spend some more time together. I knew Loki would not like us to stay in his library so I convinced Muriel to walk the gardens a bit before dinner.

As we were watching nature around us we silently walked together in comfortable silence. When we reached the more further pars of the garden it was Muriel who started talking.

“Aurora can I ask you a private question?” He suddenly said out of nowhere. He looked at me and I could feel he was nervous as his eyes darted between me and the nature around us.

I tried to focus on his feeling trying to get any clues about what the nature of his question was. But besides the nerves I did not feel much.

“Yes Muriel you may. But keep in mind that I may choose not to answer.”  I said trying to make light of this sudden tense situation.

He nodded but let a small silence fall between us for a moment.

“It’s just …… do you love Loki?”

I abruptly stopped in my tracks and I looked at him with my mouth hanging open. He also stopped and turned to watch my reaction.

“Do I love Loki?” I repeated wanting to know if I heard him right. But he just nodded.

“And with love you mean like a friend or romantically?” I asked just to get it straight what he was asking.

“I mean romantically. Do you love him and are you two romantically involved?” He asked. His eyes scanning my face probably hoping to read the answer from it.

I didn’t know if I should answer his question. I knew how he felt about Loki and he had tried to separate us before. I hoped this was not another attempt to sabotage my relationship with Loki. Especially now when things were going better between them.  

It was as he read my mind as he explained further. “I don’t want to warn you away from him. I just need to know this.”

I eyed him curiously and I grabbed his hand. I knew he knew why I did this. I wanted to feel his emotions more clearly. But even when I was touching him I could feel he was sincere and there was no malicious intend behind his question. I let go of his hand and took a few steps so I could lean against a tree. Shielding me away from the rest of the garden in case people would come upon us and I took a deep breath. As I looked up I saw Muriel had closed the distance between us and he was still looking at me waiting for my reply.

I took a deep breath and shook my head. “No Muriel, I’m not romantically involved with Loki. But I do have very deep feelings for him. He’s my best friend and much more. But no, we are not romantically involved.” I admitted as I looked back at Muriel to see what he made of this information.

“Do you wish to be romantically involved with him?” Muriel asked as he took a step closer towards me.

I so didn’t know why he was going down this line of questioning and It was making me quite curious. We were already having this conversation and I wanted to see where it went.

“That’s a hard question. Maybe if there was a mutual feeling between us. But you know that I can feel his emotions and he does not think of me in that way. And I’m not the kind of girl to fall for a man who has no interest in me. So no, I have no wish to be romantically involved with any person who doesn’t love me in return. I don’t believe that love at first sight kind of thing. I believe that love or romantic feelings grow. They start out with a tiny flicker and grow to a roaring fire. So, when I know there is no flicker I also know there never can be a fire.”

I knew I was rambling at that point so I decided to stop talking. Muriel took another step and was really close now.

“But just now when you were in distress.” He said and I feel he was still doubting my answers a bit. “He just seemed to sense your distress and he rushed over to you. He held you in his lap and in his arms and comforted you. Forgive me when I say but it looked like it was normal for him to hold you like this. It looked very intimate.”

I looked up so I could see in his eyes.

“He’s my best friend Muriel. In this short time, we’ve been through some very emotional things together. He’s comforted me before and in it might sound strange but I feel very safe when he holds me in his arms. It helps me calm greatly and he knows that. That’s why he does it. But that’s not because we are in love with each other. It’s because we are friends and very close.”

Muriel’s eyes were very intense to look at and after a few moments I had to look away. But he was so close I could only lower my eyes to his chest. As I was standing with my back against the tree and Muriel was now in front of me.

“Sorry if I make you uncomfortable Aurora but I just wanted to ask you before I did this.” Came his reply from above my head.

I looked up in confusion to see what “this” was. I raised my head so I could look what he had meant. When our eyes met, I felt him place his hands on each side of my face and he lowered his head towards me. His lips where very soft as they touched mine. He gently explored my lips and I could feel him gently press his body against mine. Pressing me back into the tree.

I closed my eyes and my mind went blank but I could feel myself starting to kiss him back. As I did I could feel Muriel deepen the kiss releasing his hold on my head and wrapping an arm around me between me and the three as he used his strength to pull my body closer against his. I could feel his heart beat fast and a lot of other overwhelming feelings and I was not sure whether they were mine or his.

I pulled my head back to gasp for air and I could feel his lips trailed down the side of my cheek kissing their way slowly down to my neck causing shivers to run over my whole body. Regaining some coherent thoughts, I lifted my arms and placed my hands against Muriel’s chest and gently pushed. He moved back a bit so we could look at each other as he slowly released my waist and I sank away from his body and back against the tree. I could see his labored breathing and I knew it matched my own. But there was a very intent smile on his lip and I could not help but blush.

“I hope you can now see why I asked about you and Loki.” He said with a grin. “Because I would never try to come between you two if there had been something. I needed to make sure before I kissed you.”

I nodded, I was speechless and still blushing profusely. He leaned against the three next to me and took my hands in his.

“I hope I was not out of line kissing you.” He asked in a softer voice.

I could feel that he was feeling a bit vulnerable.

“I’ve been wanting to do that for a while now. I keep finding myself thinking of you and wanting to touch you.” His fingers now gently stroking my hand.

I finally got some of my composure back and I knew I had to say something.

“Muriel I don’t want to be mean or rude. But I don’t want to lead you on or be dishonest. At the moment, I have no romantic feelings for anyone. While I like you a lot and find you very handsome I don’t have romantic feelings for you.”

I thought he would be disappointed or sad. But a very mischievous grin appeared on his face.

“So you think me very handsome?” He asked with a grin looking ridiculously handsome.

This making me again bush like a little girl. I lost my word and didn’t know what to say but he just continued.

“Aurora I feel drawn to you. You are very beautiful, funny and kind. I feel drawn to you and cannot help myself wanting to kiss and touch you. I will not claim to be head over heels in love with you. But to use your words I feel that flicker. That flame inside me and I know that if returned and nurtured it could become something more. You know Asgard is a lot more relaxed in the interaction between men and female. If you feel the same and would be willing I would like to explore this attraction. But only if you feel the same way.” He said and he softly kissed my hand.

I understood what he said. As we just kissed I had felt his attraction towards me and I knew it had sparked something inside of me. But whether that could lead to love I don’t know. The thing I knew for sure though was that I wouldn’t just want sex. If I wanted to explore this between us I wanted it to be about seeing if we could end up loving each other. Not just because we wanted sex. While there was nothing wrong with casual sex I just realized, I needed more from a man.

“Muriel I hope you don’t mind but I want this to be clear.” I said as I tried to push back my blush. “Yes I can feel something between us and while I’m not opposed to exploring where this might lead it doesn’t mean I just want to have sex.  So, if we explore this between us and it feels right it eventually might lead to sex. But I won’t just hop in bed with you and see where it goes. I would prefer to get to know you and spend time with you before anything like that happens. I don’t know how long it would take and I just want to make thing clear upfront.”

Muriel smiled as he closed the gap between us. “I will not push you to do anything you do not want and I understand how you feel. I love your honesty and will do my best to respect your wishes. I must warn you though that I can be a bit pushy when I want something. But I will never force myself on you or get mad if you tell me to go slower. If you feel I’m pushing a boundary just let me know like you just did. Gently push me back or tell me to stop and I will respect you wishes. I just want this to be clear upfront as you have been so honest with me.”

I smiled. “I think I can live with that.”  I said as I looked up at him.

I could see him smile back and he wrapped his arms around my waist. To my surprise he lifted me with ease so now we were nearly at the same eye level. Again, he pushed his body against mine pinning me against the tree. His arms slowly moving down to hold my hips. He was scanning my face as he placed small kisses on my eyelids, my nose, my cheek only to capture my lips again. This time he was less careful and I could feel my body warm against his. Kissing him back as I folded my arms around his neck. Gently entwining my fingers in his hair making him groan into the kiss. I could feel one hand move from my hip and cup my ass and pulling me even more against him. His kisses were very demanding but I could feel myself loving every second of them. We kissed till we had to come up for air. We kissed some more but it left us both breathless. It was Muriel who reluctantly lowered me back to the ground.

“We will be late for dinner if we don’t go back now.”  He grinned.

My idea of time had left me so I took his word for it. I rearranged my dress and I hoped the walk would do something to remove this blush I felt on my face. I felt Muriel take my arm and place it in his so we could walk arm in arm back towards the palace.

“Muriel, how do we do this?” I asked after a short silence. “I’m not sure how to give this a place at court and with our friends."

He softly stroked my hand.

“For now I think we should just continue like we have. Riding or dining together with or without other friends. But I hope you would also agree to take some time and meet in private. Just the two of us. So, we can talk and kiss or do what we want. I don’t want to sneak around the palace and steal kisses from you. Not saying that I won’t try.” He grinned and I could feel he liked the idea of stealing kisses from me. “But I just want us to have some alone time to get to know each other. While I don’t want to keep this a secret from our friends I think we should be careful and act as just friends while in public. This too prevent any gossip to reach Alfheim but more importantly to prevent the nobles to drag you into gossip. If we do find our feelings to become deeper I promise you I will personally ask your father if I can court properly. Are you ok with this?”

Instantly I stopped walking as realization dawned on me. He was a prince thinking I was a princess. He thought my father was an earthen king he could petition for my hand if needed. Muriel looked at me worried as the realization that I was living a lie must have been clear on my face.

“Aurora wat’s wrong?” He asked as he looked at me with a puzzled look in his face.

He was still holding my hands and I gently pulled them out of his grip. We still were in a relatively private part of the garden but I could not just tell him what was wrong. I had promised Odin and Frigga not to reveal that part of my story. But even worse I had no idea how Muriel would react if he knew I was no royalty.

“Aurora?” he asked again worry clearly written on his face.

“I’m so sorry Muriel but I don’t think I can do this.” I said and I backed away from him to get more room between us. “You know most of my secrets but not all. While I want to explain them to you I can’t. Because I’m bound to secrecy. I’ve made vows and I cannot break them as they would cause problems for more than just myself.”

Muriel looked at me and I could see him trying to figure out my words.

“And this secret would stop you from spending time with me?” he asked.

I shook my head. “No, but this secret might stop you from wanting to involve yourself with me or publicly court me. I swear if it was my secret I would tell you but it’s not mine and would cause problems for people who are most important to me.”

Muriel now looked a bit more reserved. “Does Loki know this secret?”

I nodded. “Yes he does, but it’s not him I gave my word to.”

I could see Muriel relax a bit.

“I have one question I would like to ask. I understand that you cannot tell me the secret but this I need to know.  The person you gave your word. Is it the king or queen that you have sworn secrecy to? You don’t need to tell me the secret. I only want to know if they are aware of the secret and if it’s their trust you don’t want to break.”

I was relieved he had guessed this.

“Yes, Odin and Frigga know the secret and it’s their trust I don’t want to break. Thor and Loki know too but they also have been sworn to secrecy by their parents.” I admitted.

Muriel nodded and took my hand again.

“Then I’m not worried about this Aurora, if they know this secret and still want you in their midst then I don’t fear your secrets. While I don’t know what would stop me from openly wanting to court you. I hope we can at least explore to see if they ever reach that point. If it makes you feel better, I will promise you that if our relationship becomes deeper I will ask your permission to address the king and queen in private. There I will explain to them my feelings for you and ask them to be let into the secret. Is this acceptable?” He asked.

I was worried about it being too late by then.

“Muriel just make sure to be honest with me and yourself. If you feel your feelings change and I feel the same way I would rather you know the secret before we might be in love. If you cannot live with my secret it would ruin our relationship and friendship. I rather us be just friends then for this secret to ruin it all. So please be careful.”

Muriel bowed and kissed my hand. “You have my word Aurora. We will see if this flame between us grows. If it does I will ask you permission to be let in on the secret before it could irreprehensible wreck our friendship or more.”

His words had calmed me a bit but I could not help but be a bit down as we made our way back to the dining hall. But Muriel chattered and lifted my spirits while walking and as we reached the hall I was feeling a bit better already. He took his seat at his table and I sat at mine. But as soon as we had parted I could not help but feel the nagging inside my brain return. It was not just the fact that I hated lying to Muriel. It was also the realization of what I had agreed to explore with him. Yes I had liked him kissing me. But no prior to his kisses I had not thought of Muriel in a romantic way. I was not sure if the thing between us was just lust or that it might become something more. I’m a grown woman but these last few weeks I had hardly thought about sex. But after Muriel’s kisses and his body pressed to mine I could feel myself wanting more. I just hoped that this whole thing wouldn’t backfire in the end.

I was jarred back to reality as Loki bumped against me underneath the table. There was a small tingle in my neck and I hastily tried to get my emotions under control.

 _“Are you alright? You have been very quiet.”_ Loki asked through the bond.

Before I replied I took a few more seconds to get my feelings under control.

 _“Yeah I’m fine. Just had an interesting evening.”_ I gave as short reply. I would not lie to Loki. But I thought it best not to tell him about what had happened between me and Muriel. I would take a bit more time to see where this would go before I would tackle that hurdle. For all I knew Muriel and I wouldn’t last a week.

 _“Anything you want to share?”_ he asked and I could feel his curiosity behind his words.

 _“Ehm, to be honest I think it’s rather something I would talk to Sif about and not you. Please don’t be upset. I promise if you need to know I will tell you. But for now, I think it falls more under the category girl talk.”_ I admitted as I glanced over to him.

 I could see mischief flash behind his eyes. _“I don’t know if you know Aurora. But I’ve even been known to take female form if you need some girl talk.”_ Was his sharp-witted reply.

I nearly choked on my wine as he said this causing the whole table to focus on me. I waved as I coughed. “Sorry, don’t mind me. I just took a big sip and it went the wrong way.”

Luckily they seemed to believe me and focused back on their own company. I could hear Loki laugh softly and I kicked him with my foot. I enjoyed my meal and focused on the rest of the group. Dinner was almost over when Fandral said something that piqued my interest. He was talking with Thor about our trip to Alfheim and that it was nearing soon. He seemed to think it might be a good thing if the men would take a nightly trip into town before they went.

It sounded innocent enough and if I didn’t know what Sif had told me I wouldn’t have thought anything of it. But now I quickly shot Sif a look which she caught. We listened as the warriors three and Thor agreed and deliberated that tomorrow night would be an excellent time for them to go into town.

It was Sif who joined their conversation.

“Would you all mind if I and Aurora go with you?” She asked. “She’s been cooped up in the palace for a while now and I promised her that I would show her some of the city’s nightlife when I had the time. This would seem as good a time as any.” She smoothly lied.

I could see a twinkle in Fandral’s eyes as he looked towards me and then back to Sif. But he agreed with the rest that we would be welcome to join them. It was Thor who turned to Loki to ask if he would come as well. But Loki declined telling his brother that he was not interested. It was an answer Thor seemed to be expecting as he did not even try to change Loki’s mind.

I signaled Sif and she understood instantly I wanted to talk to her in private. We excused ourselves and found a private spot to talk. She assured me that she would make sure I had something appropriate to wear for tomorrow. But also told me that if she would dress revealing I had to do as well.

“If you can keep Fandral away from, I’m fine.” I laughed and she assured me that would not be a problem.

“Sif can I talk to you about something?”  I asked and I could not help but feel a grin spread over my face. “But I would like to keep it between us girls for now and no one else.”

“Your secrets are safe with me Aurora what is it?” She asked and she looked a bit worried.

I knew that the walls had ears in the palace so I tried to be somewhat cryptic in case someone would hear our conversation.

“Can you remember our last conversation we had about the qualities and features we like in men?”

She nodded and looked at me interested.

“Well I gave you an example, right?” I asked.

She nodded now a big smile forming on her face.

“Well it seems that that my example might be interested in me.” I said.

Sif nearly dragged me into a small alcove with a squeak and I could not help but giggle like a schoolgirl. As we sat in the alcove and out of sight Sif whispered.

“Do you mean to say that Muriel is interested in you?” she asked nearly soundlessly but very exited.

I giggled. “Well if interested means did I just spend a good 10 minutes in the gardens being kissed by him until I nearly fainted from a lack of oxygen? Then yes.”

Sif’s eyes grew huge and her mouth opened and closed while I grinned.

“How was it?” she whispered excitedly.

“To be honest very hot!” I whispered. “He’s a very good kisser and a bit dominant. He had me crushed between him and a tree.” I said and I could not help but blush as I realized it was something I liked.

Sif let out a small squeal.

“I never knew the elf had it in him.” She admitted. “All I know about the elves is that they are very mature and even prudish as it comes to such things but clearly he is not. But what did he say? Is he in love with you? Are you in love with him?”

I had to stop Sif before she could ask even more questions.

“Shhhh, calm down.” I grinned. “No, he’s not in love with me and I not with him. But he told me he is attracted and interested in me. He wants some more time to see if there is anything more than chemistry between us.”

Sif grinned like an idiot and I swear I was doing the same.

Before she could get the wrong idea, I added. “But I did tell him that I wanted some time to get to know him some more. Before I even would think about having sex with him. I don’t just want to just have sex. I want to see if there is more before I go there.”

Sif nodded. “Did he agree?”

Now it was my turn to nod again.

“That’s good.” She added with a big grin. “It means he is not only interested in bedding you. Which is good because we already have Fandral if you were just interested in sex.” She joked and I gave her a punch on her arm.

“But I must say I’m very surprised as it’s not elf like to show such passion.” She grinned. “To pin you against a tree and make out like that. The only thing I can say is have fun exploring with him and don’t tell Fandral anytime soon. If he finds out about you and Muriel it might trigger his elf obsession again.”

“Elf obsession?” I asked.

Sif nodded. “It’s something Æsir men and Fandral in particular secretly want to do. They want to bed an Elven female. I think it’s because they are doomed to fail making it a sort of sport. But when Loki returned to Asgard after his scandal, Fandral became obsessed with it.”

I turned to look at her. “What do you mean Loki’s scandal?”

Sif looked at me. “Oh of course you would not know.” She said as realization washed over her face and she huddled closer.

“When Loki was ambassador in Alfheim he was send back after the incident with the Cup of ever flowing ale. But that was the general cover-up Odin told the public. According to Thor after a night of strong ale he told us a different story. It seemed that Loki had been caught doing some very naughty things with the elven ladies at court. The specifics where never made clear to him but according to Thor the King was furious when finding out that Loki was bedding elven females. It was around the same time Muriel was also disgraced in a similar situation. Like I said the elves are very prudish so not one but two of such incidents were too much and Muriel was disgraced and Loki got send back to Asgard. Fandral practically worshipped Loki for months. Begging him to share his story’s. But to Loki’s credit he never did and it made Fandral quite jealous. For a long time, he would pursue any elven lady he could get his hands on. But one after one they seemed immune to his charms.” She laughed.

We slowly started making our way back to our rooms again.

I could not help but laugh. “Well we decided to keep our relationship neutral in public.”  I whispered to Sif. “But it was clear we would not explicitly hide it from friends. So, he’s bound to find out.”

Sif nodded. “I don’t think he would harass you about it. Your chosen is an excellent fighter and not someone Fandral would tease.” Sif grinned.  

We neared the corridor where I had to separate to go to my wing. Sif and I agreed that tomorrow night at 9 Sif would come to my room so we could get ready for our night on the town. We wished each other good night and we went our separate ways.

As I walked to my room I could not help but think about Loki and elven females. I had seen pictures in the dance book and they were beautiful and graceful and I felt a tiny pang in my stomach. I was fine with how I looked but I was nothing like the beautiful elves. I was a lot smaller and compared with the elves I was quite curvy. Now it seemed I knew Loki preferred type was the long graceful willowy type and I was far from that. I shook my head to get these thoughts out of my mind. Why the hell was I thinking about Loki’s type and comparing myself to it. I had Muriel I could think about and he did not seem to mind my figure.

That night I went to sleep still thinking about Muriel’s kisses and his arms around me and I could not help but like the warm feeling it gave me. So, I decided I would us a chance but I would try to be reserved with falling in love. Because I still unsure about me not being a real princess. I still thought Muriel might find this too big of an obstacle. But I decided not to create problems where there were none. I had been as honest as I could have been with him. We would see where this whole ridiculous ride would take us.


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OMG I'm so happy! I have a beta reader for my story!  
> BealzADarling has graciously offered to be my beta for this story and will not only beta the chapters I already wrote.  
> But she will also beta all new chapters I will post! Thank you so much BealzADarling!

The next day I got up early, today was the day Odin would deliver master Renfield’s verdict. I was already stressed when I woke. I had a few hours before the verdict so I decided to try and relax a bit by going out riding. I loved riding Shadow and I loved to learn how to take care of him. But I still needed these frequent rides to get my muscles adjusted to long periods on a saddle. Because I was so stressed with the whole Renfield thing I decided that the best way to clear my mind was to go alone. There was nothing more comforting or relaxing then galloping on Shadow’s back surrounded by Asgard’s beautiful nature. I secretly wished I could spend the whole day outdoors but I knew I had to go back and had to get ready for the trial. I quickly took care of Shadow so he was comfortable in his stable and made my way back to my room. As I entered my room I found Loki waiting for me on the sofa. 

He looked up as I came in and I think he noticed my riding outfit. 

"You went riding?" He asked looking surprised.

I sat down on a chair and took a drink of water that Yara had placed for me on the table while I was out. 

"Yeah, I didn't want to neglect Shadow and I knew the trial would be later in the morning so I got up early to see him and decided to ride a bit.”

Loki looked at me curiously. "And you went alone?" 

I turned to look at him. "Yes, why?" I could feel he was brooding over something. But I didn’t know what was bothering him.

He shrugged his shoulders and looked over to the window. "It's nothing."

I moved over to him so I could sit next to him on the sofa. "Loki what's wrong?"

He let out a big sigh as he looked at me. "Nothing’s wrong.”

He said as he gave me a small smile. But I saw it didn’t reach his eyes. 

“It's just that I overheard Sif this morning. She was talking with my brother and the warriors three about tonight. They were asking her why you wanted to come with them and she told them that you had someone you were interested in. She added that she wanted to get you two together tonight. Then she left them announcing that she was going to invite this someone to go out with them. You told me this night in town was a plan you hatched to get Sif together with Thor. But I could tell she was not lying and it made me wonder."

I looked at him and filled in the banks. "So when I went out riding today and I said I was alone you thought I was secretly meeting someone?"

He looked at me and nodded but he quickly added. "It's no problem if you did. But it’s just that with the guardian bond I feel protective of you. I don't know what bothers me more. That you went riding on your own or that you would meet someone and not tell me. I know I have no right to limit you in any way and I do not even want to try. But it gives me an uneasy feeling when you are outside of the castle and unprotected. If you did meet someone I just want to make sure he can protect you if need be."

I took his hand and instantly felt bad because I could feel the emotions behind Loki’s words very clearly. He truly had been worried about me and I could only imagine how this must be for him with the bond.

"Loki I get that this is difficult for you and I'm sorry.” I said as I squeezed his hand a bit. “I truly was alone this morning. I was feeling stressed and needed some time to relax so that's why I wanted to go alone. But what Sif said is also true. I didn’t know she would invite him tonight. The reason for the outing is as I told you to get her and Thor together. But there is someone I'm interested in and he seems to be interested in me. It's not like we are head over heels in love but we would like to explore if there could be more between us. It’s very new though. It was the reason I was so distracted during dinner last night. He had shown his intentions just before dinner. After dinner, I had my so-called girl talk with Sif and that's when I told her about him. This means that there will be times I will spend some alone time with him. But with both our positions at court we agreed it best that we keep the whole relationship hidden. Just until we feel that our feelings have grown and we want to make things official. This will mean that I will be harder to find from time to time."

I could see Loki's muscles tense after my last words. 

"At least tell me he is a good warrior and that he will be able to protect you.” He said as he looked me in the eye. 

"Loki to be honest I don't know. I think so but I couldn’t say for sure. I will tell you his name if you want but I fear that it might complicate things between you and him further. You were just getting along again and I don't want to ruin that." I admitted as I looked away.

Of course, Loki figured it out and I could feel him sink back into the sofa with a sigh. 

"No need." He replied. "At least Muriel is a very good warrior." He said after a few moments. "I will not have to fear anything will happening to you when you are with him. For his skill matches my own. But yes, this does complicate things between us. But I shall do my best not to come between you two."

I could not help but feel my stomach drop and I opened my connection to Loki. 

_"Loki if this is something that is unbearable for you please tell me. I know this bond we have complicates things and I don't have deep romantic feelings for Muriel at this time. It’s more like an attraction we'd both like to explore. But if needed I can still be just friends with him. I will not jeopardize our friendship over a man I’m not in love with."_

I could feel emotions war within Loki. Part of him wanted to take me up on my offer so he could keep me safe. But I could also feel the other part of him rationalizing and even get angry over the first feeling. He looked at me and I felt him activate the link.

_"No aurora, I thank you for the offer. I appreciate it even more than I can tell you that you would do that for our friendship. But I think it's better for me to learn how to deal with this. I will admit that I find it a bit hard in this case because it’s Muriel who takes such an important spot in your life. But that is because of the history between us. But its something I need to learn to deal with. If it's not Muriel in time it will be another man and I need to learn that even with our bond your still have your own life to live."_

I felt sadness come from him as he said those words but also his resolve as he clearly meant what he said. I decided not to push it further as it would only make things more difficult for him. I couldn’t help but wonder about what had happened between him and Muriel. With our bond active I could feel he was sensing my feelings and I knew he was smart enough to know what I was thinking. 

_"Please Loki you don't have to tell me.”_ I added quickly. _“Yes, I'm curious about what happened between you two but I don’t want to pry. Whenever you or he wants to talk to me about it then I will know. But I don't want to push either of you into a story you don't want to share."_

I could see Loki nod but there was a deep frown on his face. 

_"Aurora if he does talk to you about what happened I think his story will differ greatly from mine. For I am quite sure we both have different views on what happened. Please promise me that if he does tell you about what happened that you at least will hear my side before you judge either of us. As you know it's not something either of us are proud of. But I do not want this to come between us. I do think you should know what happened before your fall in love with him. But I am not ready to tell you myself and Muriel might think I was sabotaging your relationship if I did."_

This I could understand. I’m sure Muriel would see it as an attack from Loki’s side if he was to tell me their story at this point. For I knew neither of them were ready to share it.

_"Then I'll add that to the list of things that need to be cleared if things progress to that level."_ I said to Loki through our bond.

I could see Loki's puzzled look as he clearly did not comprehend what I meant. There was no reason for me to keep any of this from him anymore. As he was clearly trying to be a good friend even when the subject was something he didn’t really like.

_“Muriel told me that if we find our feelings grow into something deeper that he will ask my father’s permission to court me."_ I explained.

Loki shot up from his seat at my words. 

_"What did you tell him?"_ I could feel the worry radiate from him.

I shrugged. _"I told him that I had a secret but it wasn’t mine to tell. I told him this secret might prevent him from wanting to court me openly. I also told him that I couldn’t tell him what my secret was without betraying people so I wouldn’t do that."_

I could see Loki raise his brow in wonder. _"And he just accepted this?"_

I gave him a small smile and shook my head. “ _No, while he did respect the fact that I could not tell him there were some things he wanted to know. He asked if you knew and I told him yes but that it was not you I was protecting. He didn’t seem very pleased to know that you knew my secret and he couldn’t. Then he asked if your parents knew my secret. I told him yes and that it's their trust I couldn’t betray. I also added that only they, you and Thor know about the secret. This seemed to calm him and he did not ask further."_

Loki nodded. _"I can see how this would help him. If my parents approve of your secret, he would be safe from any backlash or ramifications from it in Asgard. But I do think Alfheim will not be as tolerant if they should ever learn the truth. I do not know if Muriel would ever consider courting you if he knew in advance."_

I could not help but agree. _"That's why we agreed that if our feelings became something more he would partition Odin and Frigga in private to request to know the secret. Meaning that before our feelings can wound either of us to deeply he could end things without devastating either of us. But since we both don't know if our feelings will even grow to such an extant we agreed that we would first see if we were even compatible together."_

Again, Loki nodded. I could feel while it was not ideal he approved of the arrangement. 

_"If you reach that point you just described make sure he tells you what happened between us. Just like your secret this might deter you from wanting a further relationship with him. But that is all I will say because it also applies to me as well and I hope it will not harm our friendship when you find out."_

I wanted to assure him this would never happen. I could feel his pain over his last words. But I knew there was nothing I could say. As I knew he wouldn’t take my word for it. After a few moments of silence Loki looked up.

“The trial will start soon.” He said, clearly wanting to change the subject. “I wanted to know if you wanted to be present for the verdict or if you wanted to skip it." He motioned with his arms. "That is why I am here."

I thought about it for a moment. But I knew I had to. This whole thing was about me and Shadow so I thought it best to attend. 

"I will go with you." I told him. I concentrated hard and with a few gestures of my hand I magically freshened myself and dressed myself in one of the fancier gowns I had. I could feel the surge of seidr that had coursed through my body die down and I could see Loki smile.

"It's still something I'm very proud of." he admitted with a bit smile. "To see you cast such intricate spells with ease. Combined with such elaborate dresses.”

I could not help but smile feeling quite happy to receive his compliment.

"Thanks.” I grinned. “But I still need to get Yara now to quickly do my hair. She also needs to tell me which items of jewelry I need to put on.”

Loki got up from the sofa. "Would you like me to do your hair?" He asked

I could not help but gape at him with an open mouth.

He shrugged. “What? I did spend a lot of time with my mother as a child and I kind of liked doing her hair. Also, since I am already here it will save time and it gives me something to do other than just wait for you to get ready."

I gave him a big smile and shook my head. "Just promise me you will make me look nice." and I walked to my bedroom and he followed. 

I sat down at the vanity and started to put on the jewelry Loki told me to keep my head as still as possible so as to not hinder him. I had put all the items in place that he mentioned. All that I had was left were a hair pin and necklace but they needed to wait till Loki was done with my hair. 

He was gently brushing and braiding my hair and it was very calming to watch him work. Within moments he had tamed my hair and braided a few small and elaborate looking braids. He gently wove them around my head to hold back the mass of hair that freely flowed over my shoulders. He released some locks of hair so it didn’t look like my hair was pulled back to tightly. Then he placed the comb in my hair. As the finishing touch, he placed the necklace around my neck. His fingers brushed my skin and I got goosebumps. I looked at his reflection in the mirror and I could see him gently examine his work and smile before he made eye contact.

"There, what do you think?” he said as he stepped back to admire his work.

I smiled. "I think that you are not only a great mattress, but also have a shining future as a handmaiden if you ever need such a job."

This caused Loki to laugh hard. "I will keep that in mind Aurora.” He grinned. 

“Thank you Loki. My hair looks amazing, thank you for your help.” I said now without teasing him. 

He gave me a smile. He looked at the clock and we both agreed it was time to make our way towards the main hall for the trial. As we entered the main hall I noticed it was very busy. I saw Frigga and Thor stand on the top of the steps and we moved to stand with them. I was nervous again when I saw Renfield who was almost dragged in by guards. He wasn’t looking very well. It wasn’t that he was treated badly but there was a visible fear radiating off him that made him look pale and sickly. I couldn’t help but cringe a bit and I felt Loki's hand on my back for support. It was Frigga's voice that pulled me away from the awful sight. 

"My dear are you alright?" She softly whispered as she looked at me with a worried look on her face.

"I'm fine.” I said and tried to give her a small smile. “It’s just that he's really afraid and it's quite overwhelming. While I have no love for the man it's hard not to empathize with his fear."

Frigga nodded and gave my arm a gentle squeeze. "You are a kind person Aurora. Where some people would rejoice to feel the fear from someone who has wronged them you on the other hand empathize. But I am afraid Renfield has a very good reason to be fearful as he has caused a lot of trouble for himself.” She looked over towards the man. “I think he might have actually been better off just pleading guilty in the first place.” She sighed. "It seems that the nobles that he tried to impress have all left his side after the magical verification. They now see his actions against you and the royal family as an action against themselves." It was then that Odin entered and the whole room went silent.

"People of Asgard. My counsel and I have come to an agreement on the charges laid at this man’s feet." And he pointed towards Renfield who shrank even more in size at these words.

"They will now be read aloud." Odin said as he took his seat.

A council member took place before the crowed and unrolled a parchment scroll.

"The charges against Master Renfield have been declared to be as followed.” He said in a loud and clear voice.

“The threatening of violence towards royalty under the protection of the house of Odin.

The deliberate mistreatment of an animal belonging to royalty under the protection of the house of Odin.

Disobeying a direct order of royalty under the protection of the house of Odin.

Lying under oath to the Allfather, Odin Borson.

Deliberately trying to discredit and harm the reputation of a Prince of the house of Odin.

Deliberately trying to discredit and harm the reputation of royalty under the protection of the house of Odin.” 

He took a small moment to let the charges sink in and then he continued.

"Seeing that the severities of these six main charges are very high all lesser charges will not be named at the request of the Allfather." The council member said solemnly. After this he took his original place. The court was completely silent and I could see Loki shake his head minutely. 

I opened our bond. _"What's wrong?"_ I asked without looking at him.

Another council member now took place in front of the masses and began prattling on the evidence to support these charges. But I could feel a mix strange mix of emotions come from Loki. He seemed to know what Renfield’s fate would be. I could feel he felt a sense of justice about it but I could also feel he felt a tiny bit of pity for him. His words in my mind confirmed this. 

_"There is nothing wrong Aurora. But hearing the severity of the charges I know what is coming. Each one of these charges separately are severe enough to warrant him to spend the rest of his life in the dungeons. But with this many of them combined it will most definitely cost him his life."_

My eyes grew wide as I looked at Loki. I had known he would be punished sure. But I thought he would be thrown in the dungeons for a great deal of time because of the length the Æsir lived. But I didn’t think he would be sentenced to death. I think Loki felt my shock as I could feel his hand on the small of my back again. 

_“That is what mother meant by her words. If he had confessed his guilt in the beginning, he would have spent a long time in the dungeons but he would have lived. But he gambled and made a spectacle on the idea that it would be your word against his. Thinking that your heritage would make his word more believable."_

It was Odin who pulled my focus back towards the trail as he spoke. 

"Master Renfield had his chance to give this court his testimony through magical verification. He refused this offer. Therefore, I am left with no other option then to find him guilty of all charges. As penalty for his crimes I sentence him to death and for his family to be stripped of all their titles and wealth. They are to live with the ruin of their reputation like he intended to do to others with his deceit." 

There was a loud murmur in the crowd and I could see a woman with three young children standing to the side of the room. By the way they looked at Renfield it was very clear they were his family. I could see the fear Odin’s words slammed into them. The woman who had already been crying now did her best to calm her children who also broke down after Odin’s words.

My heart nearly broke as I felt their pain. 

_"Loki please is there anything to be done against the last part of the sentence? I understand I cannot change Renfield’s fate as he brought this whole mess down on himself. But his family had no part in this and I don't want to see them ruined, it’s bad enough they are going to lose their father and husband."_

I could feel Loki's feelings through the bond. He sympathized with them but was unsure if it was possible. 

_"I do not know Aurora. This thing has become a spectacle because of his doing. The nobles are outraged and I do not know if it's possible to change father’s views. I am sure he is making an example of him and his family so something like this will not happen again."_

I could see him turn towards Frigga who he stood closer to and he whispered a few words to his mother. Frigga looked at me and gave me a sad look as she whispered back to Loki. After this he turned to me.

"My mother asks if you are sure.” He whispered. “There will be a chance to speak before the sentence is final. But she fears that if you would speak on Renfield’s behalf the Nobles would think you soft. For now, they know the extent of your influence and they will respect you for it. Remember sometimes being feared is better than being kind."

I shook my head and whispered back. "Loki I understand but I cannot live with myself if I don't try. They had nothing to do with this and they already must live with the actions of their father. They should not be punished any further for his mistakes."

Loki nodded and turned towards his mother. As the other council member took his place again and this time asked if there was anyone willing to speak on the behalf of master Renfield. It was Frigga who moved and took my hand as we walked to the middle of the room. The people in the crowd erupted in a loud noise. Clearly surprised by our actions. Odin banged his staff on the floor several times before the room fell to silence again. 

"My King." Frigga started. "I would like to make clear that neither I nor Princess Aurora are here to speak on master Renfield’s behalf. We accept your judgement and respect his punishment. However, there is something Princess Aurora wishes to ask."

As Odin looked at me I bowed deeply. 

"My King I have heard the verdict and accept the judgment of master Renfield as it is wise and just. But my heart goes out to his family. They have no part in what happened that day and I believe I can say with certainty that they had no part in his horrible deception afterwards. While I understand the need to make an example so things like this will not be tolerated I cannot bear to see his family suffer. For I don’t wish any harm to them because of the misguided actions of their father." 

With these words, I straightened my posture and waited for Odin to answer. Odin looked at me for a moment and then looked at Frigga. But we both held his gaze.

"Are there anymore who would wish to speak in defense of master Renfield?" Odin’s voice boomed through the crowd and you could hear people audibly suck in their breaths but nobody moved or spoke. 

"Then at the behest of Princess Aurora I will commute his sentence. For she has been the party mostly wronged by Renfield’s actions. His execution will remain but I declare his family safe from all repercussions. The shame of their father’s actions will be their sentence for it can never be washed away." He said with a cold voice as he looked at the still emotional family and they all dropped down to the floor in a deep bow.

Frigga and I both made a curtsy and returned to our places on the steps. As I looked at Renfield I saw him look at me with strange mix of expressions on his face and I had to look away. I didn’t want to focus on his feelings right now. Because the emotions in the room were overpowering enough without me focusing on him. It was the council member who ended the court session with the message that the execution would be planned for the next day. With that Odin left and the crowd burst into murmurs and sent glances in my direction. I could feel their judgmental looks sting on my skin.

I turned to Loki. “Loki may I leave? I don't want to be here with all those people watching and judging me."

Loki nodded and I quickly said goodbye to Frigga and Thor and ducked into a small side corridor and out of sight.

Loki was next to me in a flash. "Aurora are you alright?" He asked looking concerned. 

I felt defeated. "No I'm not. I never intended for this trial to cause his death. Yes, I wanted him to be punished. But I didn’t want him to lose his life. To think I rejoiced about my victory when I asked for the magical verification." I could feel tears prick behind my eyelids as I closed them.

I could feel Loki understood my emotions and I leaned against his chest feeling very tired. 

"Loki can you just please teleport me to my room? I don't want to pass those judging eyes the whole way back.” 

I could feel his arms wrap around me and a tingle of magic as Loki teleported me without further question. Once in my room I hurried to my bedroom and started to furiously remove my jewelry. I was nearly throwing them back into the box when Loki followed in behind me. I tried to remove the comb from my hair but it was caught in my hair. I tried to pull it out more forcefully but I only made it more painful as it tangled deeper into my curls. I felt Loki wrap his arms around me and gently catch my hands and press my arms down. 

"Aurora stop. I get that you are emotional and that you never wanted this. But it's not fair to hurt yourself. It was Renfield who caused all this. He did this to you and to himself. It was not you who did this to Renfield." He said calmly into my ear.

I took a small breath. Deep down I knew he was right. 

"It just feels like I caused his death.” I said as I turned around in his arms. “While I know it was his actions that caused all of this it's still all centered around me." I sighed and placed my head against his chest. 

Loki gently untangled the comb from my hair and placed it on the dresser. The over the top dress felt very uncomfortable and with a wave of my hand I changed it to a nightgown and overcoat in the hope I could relax a bit. At the same time, there was a knock on my door. 

"I'll get it." Loki said and he left my bedroom. 

I sagged on the chair in front of the vanity and let my forehead rest on my arms. I could hear voices in the other room and then the door slam a bit harder than usual. I heard my bedroom door slowly open and thought Loki had returned. 

"Who was that?" I asked without looking up.

"It was me trying to find you and to see how you are doing." Muriel’s voice suddenly said.

I looked up to see him standing in my doorway looking at my reaction towards him being there and I could not help but feel a bit glad he had come to check on me. I walked over towards him and placed my arms around his waist as I let my head rest against his chest. He quickly wrapped his arms around me and held me. 

"How do you feel?" He asked against the top of my hair.

"Horrible." I admitted as I looked up at him and could not help but tear up again. He gently lifted me in his arms and walked back into the reception room. He sat down on the sofa with me in his lap. As soon as he sat us down he wrapped his arms around me again.

"You should be feeling good about this situation." He started. "You saved a man’s family. To be more precise you saved an enemy's family which is even more noble."

I shook my head against his chest. "There is nothing noble in doing the right thing and not wanting other people to get hurt." I said angrily.

This made Muriel laugh. "You will be surprised how wrong you are in that Aurora. But I will not argue with you right now as you do not have the heart to hear it. Just know I was very proud of you today." 

I looked up so I could see his face and I felt he meant his words. He lifted his hand to remove a tear from my cheek.

"Not many would have had the inclination, courage or conviction to ask for clemency like that. I'm truly very proud of you Aurora." He closed the gap between us and softly kissed me. It was a gentle kiss and I could feel a comforting warmth spread through my body. I moved my arms around his neck so I could pull him towards me. He responded by deepening the kiss. He moved us and I could feel him gently tilting me so my back was now on the sofa seat and he gently lowered himself on top of me. His kisses were gentle and sweet but I could feel him holding back and that made me giggle. 

"You know.” He said between kisses. "It could be considered very rude of a woman to laugh at a man when he's kissing her." Right then he moved his kisses to the side of my neck and he found a very sensitive spot. I could not help but curl my fingers into his hair. 

As he explored that spot more I felt my head swimming with lust. There were quite a few ideas I wanted him to do to me. But I also knew I wasn’t ready for any of them and that we had to slow down a bit. I gently pulled his head back up so I could kiss him on his lips. But I deliberately made them more gentle and slow. He seemed to understand as he returned to gentler kisses and didn’t try to deepen them. Muriel moved a bit so he was now on his side and lying next to me on the sofa. It was a good thing the sofa was quite grand or it would have never held the two of us. But it felt very nice lying there with him holding me in his arms. 

"I'm sorry I didn’t mean to laugh at you." I said after we had laid in silence for a moment. "I just was surprised that you could make me feel good for a moment and help me forget all the bad things. I never knew I was that easy. “I grinned. This made Muriel laugh.

"Aurora, you are a lot of things but easy is not one of them thank the Norns. If I wanted someone boring I could have my pick at any woman at this court." 

This made me smile again and we just laid there for a moment scanning the ceiling. Muriel seemed to think of something and I could feel his eyes focus on me again.

"I see you told Loki about us.” He said softly while stroking my arm. 

I nodded. "Yes, he was worried about me. He overheard Sif talking about inviting someone I was interested in to join us at the tavern tonight. He was worried he couldn’t be there to protect me. He wanted to know if this man I had my eye on would be able to protect me. As you know I don’t ever want to lie to him so I admitted that I didn’t know. I told him that I didn’t mind telling him who you were but I didn’t want to cause trouble between you when you were just starting to get along again. Of course he then concluded it was you."

Muriel nodded. "How did he react?"

I gently stroked a lock of hair from Muriel’s face and placed it behind his ear. "He wasn’t thrilled but he admitted he didn’t have to worry about my protection. His exact words were that your skills match his own and he was sure you would keep me safe.” 

Muriel raised an eyebrow. "It seems Loki does not lie to you either.” He said as he was thinking deeply. “He would never admit something like that normally. He always claimed to be a better warrior but we both know it’s only because of his seidr that he could beat me in the end. While I am an elf and therefore faster his seidr levels far outweigh my own. Therefore in the end he would win a fight between the two of us. Not that I will ever admit to him I said this." he added with a small grin. "But he's right I would not let anyone harm you. Especially when I am near. What else did he say?"

I moved a bit so I was lying on my side so I could look at him more easily. 

"He mentioned that when things got more serious between us I should know what caused the rift between you two. He told me that at that specific time I should ask you to tell me your story. He only asked that after you did this I would come to him and give him a chance to tell his side."

I could see Muriel frown. "What happened is not something we are proud of or we would do again. We learned our lesson but the gist of the story is that the person who got punished was the person who was most innocent.”

I could feel he was uncomfortable and was pulling away out of our embrace to sit back up. But I placed a hand over his shoulder. 

“Muriel when you are ready or when I need the information to make a decision about our relationship then I will expect the whole story. For now, I can accept that like me you have something you’d rather have kept a secret.” I gently said.

I could feel his muscles relax and he pulled me closer. “Thank you Aurora.” He said softly before giving me a kiss. “I do think I might have been a bit mean towards Loki just now.” He said and I could feel a flash of guilt run through him. 

I raised an eyebrow to question him. 

“I wanted to check on you and I found Loki here and I got a bit jealous. Especially because your bedroom door was open and I knew he had been in there.” He rested his head against mine as he continued. “I know and believe you when you say there is nothing more between you then a close friendship. But I must confess it’s a bit hard not to feel some jealousy. I might have told him that as I was the man in your life now it was my place to console you and not his and I asked him to leave.”

I gave him a bit of a glare. “Muriel I can understand your feelings. But you need to understand that the friendship between Loki and I is very strong. There will be times that I need him to console or calm me. I can imagine this must be hard. But I need Loki and yes he is allowed in my bedroom. I hope you can live with this because I don’t want you to get mad if you find him there. You need to figure out for yourself if that is something you can stand or not.”

I could feel he didn’t understand what I meant with my words. And I could feel a small distrust as he thought about what I had said. I pulled out of his arms and sat up. 

“Can you give me a moment?” I asked and when he nodded I walked to the bedroom and focused on the bond with Loki. 

_“Loki, I’m sorry Muriel was a jerk to you and I’m trying to get him to accept your place in my life. But I think the best way for him to accept this is to tell him about the bond. But I won’t do it if you don’t agree. Can you let me know what you think?”_

I could feel his emotions war a bit as I mentioned Muriel. But in the end I could feel he agreed. 

_“Yes I think that would be the best way to explain why we need each other without causing further problems between you two.” Came his reply. “Do you want me to come over so I can answer any questions he has? I’m in my room so I can be there right away.”_

_“Yes, please come over. I will let Muriel know you are on your way.”_ And with that I walked back finding Muriel sitting on the sofa waiting for me. 

I walked over and took a seat next to him.

“I asked Loki to come over for a second.” I said and I could see his surprise at my words. “There is a way to explain why Loki and I are so close. But I need him here to answer any questions you might have.”

I could feel he wanted to ask me how I had contacted Loki. But I raised my hand to interrupt him. 

“I swear you will understand in a moment. But before I tell you I need your word that you will keep this private. I don’t want this known by anyone besides the three of us. Is this something you can promise me?” I asked.

“If you need me to swear then I will Aurora.” He said calmly but I could feel he was not pleased about learning I had another secret. “I swear I will not reveal what you and Loki tell me so long as it does not get me in trouble.”

I nodded. “I swear that you won’t get in trouble for this.” 


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, first time smut coming up ahead! Be warned ;)

I could feel Loki’s presence outside my room and I walked over and opened the door. Loki walked in and with a small nod of his head acknowledged Muriel. He took a chair next to the sofa and I took my seat next to Muriel.

 _“Do you want to start, or shall I?”_ I asked Loki through our bond.

 _“I think it will be better if you tell him.”_ Was all the reply I got.

I turned to Muriel and I could see he had been watching me and Loki.

“Muriel you know about my powers. When Loki agreed to be my teacher we had to stop often because it was dangerous for me to even practice the pronunciation of the words out loud. Loki had to place his hands on my temple so he could hear me projecting the words in my head. This hindering my hand movements.” I explained.

I could see Muriel nod as he processed my words. “Yes I can see where the danger might be if someone with your powers would try to voice the words aloud while learning.”

“Well, Loki showed me a spell book and within there was an old spell that seemed to solve our problem. We wanted to find a way for us to communicate with each other without having to speak or touch. This way he could correct me while I was performing gestures with my hands.  And he wouldn’t need to be near me if the spell might cause him harm if it went wrong.”

Again, Muriel thought about this but I could see him eyeing Loki. “What spell did you use? I know of no such spell that would allow two people to talk to each other over a distance.” He asked suddenly.

I saw Loki close his eyes for a moment and take a deep breath but he answered Muriel none the less. “That is because the sole purpose of the spell is not just to talk to each other. Before I tell you the spell I want to add that I made sure Aurora read and understood the spell. I also told her we did not have to do it if she found the affects to be more than she anticipated. I also told her in advance that if later she did not like the result the spell could be broken at any time.”

I could feel Muriel getting angry at his words and I knew I had to intervene.

“Muriel I’m sorry but I feel your anger.” I said as I looked at him sternly. “This conversation isn’t because I want you to judge our actions or reasons to perform a spell. The only reason I want to tell you this is because it will make you understand what’s between me and Loki. I hope to take away some of the jealousy you might have. But it’s not because I want you to judge my actions. Let me make it very clear. If I must choose between you and my friendship with Loki at this moment I would choose Loki. Like I said before if you think me unreasonable or if you cannot live with this then tell me now and we can part as friends.”

I saw Muriel trying to get his emotions under control. While the anger died down a bit I could feel coldness spread from him. I got up and placed myself on his lap. I wrapped my arms around him and made him look at me. 

“Please understand that I don’t want to choose between you.” I softly said to him. “I just want to explain and hopefully make things better for all of us.”

I could feel his muscles flex a bit but after a moment the tension left his body and he placed his arms around my waist and pulled me against him so we both were more comfortable. I looked at Loki to see his reaction at my position in Muriel’s lap but he seemed fine with it. I could feel Muriel was more relaxed now and I thought we could continue so I signaled Loki.

“Muriel have you ever read the history of the high priestesses of seidr?” Loki asked and Muriel nodded his head in confirmation.

“Do you remember how they kept the priestesses safe when they were threatened?” Loki asked.

Muriel thought and I could see a glimmer of recognition behind his eyes. “You mean their guardians? They had one or several guardians to protect them at all times.”

Loki nodded and Muriel continued. “As I can recall the guardians protected the priestesses when in danger. They were able to sense when they were in trouble and even communicate with them over great…..” Muriel’s words stopped as his eyes flickered back to Loki.

Loki smiled. “A few years back I found an ancient text in the library’s vault. It had the description of the ritual. It also housed the spell used and the vows they gave. I thought that the vows were symbolic as they were separate from the spell. So, the spell would just create the link for two people to communicate.”

I turned a bit in Muriel’s lap so I could face him. “I read the text and agreed with Loki. The vows seemed symbolic but we used them none the less. The result is that I can talk to Loki in my mind and he can talk to me. He can sense my emotions when we talk but only when we talk. But when I’m in great distress or pain like with Shadow he can feel it too. Loki feels a great need to protect me and I feel safe when he’s around. We made a pathway so that I can move between his personal library and my bedroom when I want. But if I’m in danger he can use this pathway to get to me undetected. He gave me his word that he only will do this in case of an emergency. When I was sick from healing Shadow I couldn’t sleep without night terrors. Because of our bond Loki also couldn’t sleep because the need to be near and protect me was too great. So, we slept together for two nights. To be clear I’m actually talking about sleeping and not sex or anything. This helped me feel safe and helped me recover much quicker.”

I could feel a lot of emotions rise from Muriel but I also sensed he was trying to keep some from me. So I got up from his lap and sat next to him to give him some privacy.

“This is the extent of my bond with Loki and the reason why it might seem to you that our relationship might be more than just friends. He’s my guardian and therefore as much as a part of me as I'm of him. This is also why sometimes I need him to calm or comfort me and not you. But it also means that I might have to comfort him as the link works both ways.”

I could feel little from Muriel and I did not want to pry by touching him. So I just sat there as he stared between Loki and I.

“Loki.” He said with a cool voice. “Do you think I could see the spell book and spell?”

Loki nodded and with a wave from his hand the book was there. He opened it to the right page and gave it to Muriel. Muriel took his time reading it and I saw him frown a few times.

“You are right when you said that the words seem symbolic.” Muriel said after a few moments. “But from what you describe the connection between you is far stronger then this spell would suggest.”

I could hear from his tone that he was curious and not mad. I felt he and Loki enjoyed discussing things like this as I could see Loki eyes light up at Muriel’s words. I could not help but guess that it might be something they liked to do together when they had been in Alfheim. They both seemed to clearly like discussing such thing as they had done before when talking about my seidr.

“Yes as soon as we did the spell we noticed it differed from what the book said.” Loki said animatedly. “The rune we use to anchor the spells is filled with the seidr of the other person. Aurora has one with my color seidr in her neck and I have on that with her color seidr. Why the link had such added effect I do not know but my guess is that it has to do with Aurora’s magic.”

Muriel looked at me. “Can I see the rune?”

Loki nodded and stood so he could sit next to me on the sofa. He placed his hand on the back of my neck and with a small tingle I knew he had altered it so Muriel could see it. I saw him do the same to his rune. I turned my back to Muriel and with a wave of my hand put my hair in a braid. Then I moved the braid over my shoulder giving Muriel the access he wanted. As he softly touched the rune I could feel a slight tingle and could only imagine the green glow it was now emitting.

Muriel looked at Loki. “And yours is in her seidr’s color?”

Loki nodded and turned. Muriel was still behind me looking over my shoulder as I touched Loki’s rune. As soon as I touched it there was a bright teal glow from his rune. Muriel nodded and we all just sat there on the sofa while he and Loki discussed further details about the spell. I turned so I was sitting with my back against the sofa and my legs pulled up. They were sideways on each side of me talking animatedly. I could not help but smile as they seemed so engrossed with their discussion that they almost seemed like good friends. But way too soon I could feel Muriel’s emotion darken again.

“Aurora as you can imagine I am not thrilled about you being bound to Loki but I understand why you both did it.” He said as he looked at me. “I do agree it’s a safer way to train and help you with your magic. I cannot promise I will not be jealous of your bond but I will do my best not to stand in its way. But I do hope you will also come to me when you need help or at least include me when you are in trouble. For I do not want to stand idly at the sidelines when you are in some sort of trouble.” He then turned to Loki. “For as long as Aurora and I are together I will expect you to let me know if she is in trouble. I understand that you might need to react first to keep her safe. But I want to be included in any troubles regarding her as soon as possible. For it will be my right to protect her as much as it is yours.”

“That seems only fair.” Loki agreed.

“I do want to make one exception.” I added and they both looked at me. “If for any reason I ask Loki not to tell you something then I need you to not get angry at Loki. I don’t know why I might want to keep things from you. But I reserve the right to do so without you taking it out on Loki. If you do get angry about a decision like this that's fine. But you will take it up with me and not Loki.”

Muriel looked at me and nodded. “In such a case I will agree not to take my anger out on Loki. But please understand that I might get angry with you if something like that should happen.”

I nodded. “That’s all I ask. I don’t want this to turn into a weird triangle relationship any more than it already is.” I could feel both Loki and Muriel tense at my words.

“Agreed.” They both said almost in unison.

With that settled I felt a little easier and suddenly tired. “If there is nothing more to discuss then I want to take a nap if you both don’t mind. It will be a late night tonight. Loki, do you still want to come?” I asked. “I knew you said you wanted test me to see if I can see through your illusions. Muriel is coming to although I don’t know how he thinks he can go unnoticed.” I teased.

Loki eyes twinkled mischievously at my words and I could see Muriel’s eye twinkle the same way. They knew something I didn’t but seeing as it had put a smile on both their faces I wouldn’t ruin the moment by asking.

“I think I will stay home.” He said as he looked over to Muriel. “Muriel will be there to keep you safe and keep you company. But I would like it if the two of us could go riding together tomorrow. Although I think we better make it be in the afternoon because I know how late my brother tends to stay out.” Loki smirked.

“Will you be going to the execution tomorrow?” Muriel asked suddenly and I could feel my eyes grow wide as his words registered.

I had not thought about the execution and I could feel myself panic. I wouldn’t be expected to watch Renfield die, would I? After that whole ordeal today and the overwhelming feelings from Renfield’s family and the crowd. I almost got nauseous thinking about what kind of feelings there would be during his execution. Loki’s arms were suddenly around me as he pulled me against him.

“Calm Aurora you do not have to go.” He softly said into my ear. “You don’t have to go to the execution. People will not expect you to attend especially if you do not want to. Please calm and try not to think about it.”

I shivered as I tried to get my emotions under control. I was glad Loki had his arms around me as I could feel it calm me significantly. As I got my emotions back in control Loki gently released me and told me to get some sleep. I could see he wanted to stay and calm me more while sleeping but I could feel him doing his best to keep his emotions in check with Muriel in the same room. He gave me a hug and told me to contact him if I needed anything. Then he said his goodbye to Muriel and left my room.  As Loki left Muriel took my hand. I could feel a guilt and anger inside him and even some jealousy.

“I am sorry Aurora I did not think about how my words would affect you.” He said as he gave me an apologetic smile.

“You just caught me off guard that’s all.” I could feel he his relief at my words but the small wave of jealousy was still there. “If I may ask why were you feeling a bit jealous?” I asked hoping he wouldn’t mind the question.

Muriel shrugged. “It’s because Loki instantly knew I had upset you greatly. And just like you explained with his just his arms around you you calmed immensely. It’s not that I do not understand it’s because of the bond between you. It’s just a bit hard to see for I wish I could do the same for you.”

I nodded in understanding. “I’m glad you know why we behave like we do with each other. That’s why I wanted to tell you. So you know why I react to Loki as I do.” I had to stifle a yawn and gave him an apologetic smile. “I really need to take a nap. I hope I can have one without thinking about Renfield. I really need some sleep before tonight and I don’t need him haunting my dreams.” I confessed.

“Well.” Muriel said with a mischievous glint in his eyes. “If you need someone to hold you when you sleep there might be a certain elf who would not mind doing this. Since he also needs to get more sleep as it seems that he is going to be out all-night.”

 “Yes I think that might be a very convenient arrangement for both of us.” I agreed.

In one swift motion he was on his feet and before I had a chance to react he had me in his arms and was carrying me to my bedroom.

“What is it with you and Loki? You’re always carrying me when I’m perfectly able to walk.” I laughed.

“Well I cannot say for him but I personally like it when you are in my arms. Secondly, you are remarkably light for your size.” He added. “It’s probably a man thing as it makes me feel very strong and capable.” He grinned.

I laughed as he gently placed me on the bed. I took of my robe so I was just in my nightgown and with a flash of his hand Muriel changed into what must be a sort of elven sleep wear. We climbed into bed and he wrapped his arms around me to pull me close. We kissed a bit but it was just gentle and sweet. It only took a few moments for us both to doze off. It must have been a few hours when Muriel woke me with soft kisses on my neck and I could not help but smile. I missed lunch and my stomach was protesting loudly.  So we quickly dressed ourselves and hurried to the dining hall where of course the whole group was already waiting. After dinner everyone agreed that Sif and I would meet the men in the great hall around 21:30. With that settled Sif and I went back to my room to get dressed. When Sif showed me the dresses she had gotten us I found it hard to suppress a giggle. They were quite plain and were the kind servants normally seemed to wear. But where a servant wore a kind of tunic underneath we had none. This meant that we both had quite the cleavage showing. We looked like two sexy serving wenches from a pirate story who were looking for a good night out on the town. She had two plain cloaks so we could cover ourselves and not give anything away while walking the castle halls.

As we walked to the main hall I could not help but giggle. “I heard you invited Muriel.” I said to her with a smile.

Sif smiled back. “Well I thought you might get lonely if all goes like we planned tonight. I thought it best to make sure someone other than Fandral was there for you.”

My eyes grew wide and I could not help but laugh. “Thank you for that. But I don’t understand how in the world people aren’t going to notice us when we walk in with an elf. I mean it’s hard enough to make Thor and Volstagg  inconspicuous. But Muriel?”

Sif laughed. “You’ll see." She said as we entered the main hall.

I saw Thor and the warriors three waiting. Next to Thor was a man I had never seen before. He had long blond hair like Thor and bright blue eyes. He was not as large as Volstagg but not as slender as Loki was. He was tall and for an Æsir quite good looking. As he moved I noticed he moved very graceful. It wasn’t till he opened his mouth in greeting that I recognized Muriel’s voice. I nearly jumped in the air in shock as I stared at him. Making him and the rest laugh loudly.

“I am sorry Aurora we just wanted to see how you would react.” The man said. There was a small wave of his hand and the man changed into the handsome elf I knew. When I touched his arm I still could feel a tingle of magic.

“You are still wearing and illusion.” I said to him in full wonder.

“Yes.”  He nodded. “I changed it so that you and our friends can see me as I am. But the rest see me as you just did. This way people will not gossip about the elven prince visiting a lowly inn.”

It had never occurred to me that Muriel’s seidr level was this high. That he could create these sort of intricate illusions for a long period. Since I was still studying this with Loki I knew first hand it was quite hard to keep these kinds of illusions going. Then I looked at the rest of our party and I could not believe the differences. Sure, they hadn’t used illusions but without their flair, armor and weapons they almost looked normal. With all of us now ready we made our way into town. It wasn’t a very long walk but I was glad Sif had given me the cloak. As the clothes had no spells on them and the night air was quite chilly. Luckily when Muriel noticed I was a bit cold he immediately tucked me against his side and put his arm around me. Sif looked ecstatic as she saw Muriel’s arm around me but I could see the rest look at us with a funny look on their faces. I think they still couldn’t believe that me and Muriel were an item. But I knew they didn’t mind as I couldn’t feel any negative emotions coming from them.

As we reached the tavern or inn it was already packed with people. It was a busy night with people drinking and loudly talking as far as I could see. I followed them into the main sitting area and within a moment Thor had claimed a table in the far corner of the room and commanded ale for the whole table with a loud voice. As they took their seats Sif and I waited a bit and I motioned Muriel to join the boys. It took them about a minute to figure out we were still at the door talking to each other and I could hear Thor’s booming voice call us over.

I looked at Sif who clearly was a bit nervous. “Ok now we have his attention. I want you to slowly walk over to the table. While you are walking over I want you to slowly start to remove your cloak. When you nearly reach the table drop the cloak over a chair arm and take a seat next to Thor. Remember we want him to notice you are a woman and not just a buddy. So work your beautiful figure and make him notice you!”  I grinned.

Sif laughed and nodded and we both turned towards the men. I let her go first and I saw her working it while walking towards the table. As she removed her cloak I swear I saw the eyes of Thor and the warriors three nearly pop out of their skulls. As I walked behind and also removed my cloak I could see Muriel’s eyes on me and I could see an appreciative smile cross his lips that made me blush a tiny bit. Before we reached the table, it seemed the local men had noticed me and Sif and they started to cat call loudly. Muriel being a bit jealous as he was pulled me onto his lap making it clear to the other men to leave me alone. But Sif played her part amazingly. Next to Thor she turned and leaned back against the table. Making most of her figure and simultaneously giving Thor and eye full while pretending to talk to the men who had approached her. I could see Thor was having a hard time keeping his eyes off her. But he looked unsure and didn’t come between Sif and the other men. It didn’t take long for our drinks to arrive and as Fandral started a toast Sif turn around again.

“My friends to a night of festivities and fun.” Fandral said as he raised his glass. “I propose a bet for tonight to make things more interesting. The first person to win a kiss from a beautiful woman or man gets free ale for the rest of the evening.”

“Deal.” Was the cheer around the table from all of us and I could see from the smug look on Fandral’s face he thought he would be the winner of this bet. We all took a drink from our ale and loudly placed the mugs on the table. Before I could register anything else I was flipped backwards in Muriel’s arms. Before I could let out a squeal his mouth was on mine kissing me with such a passion it took my breath away. Damn that man could kiss was the only thought on my mind at that moment. When he pulled back so I could try and breathe again I heard Sif, Volstagg, Hogan and Thor cheer and laugh loudly and Fandral just sat there with big eyes and his mouth hanging wide open.

“Well Fandral.” Muriel said very smugly. “Does this mean both me Aurora and I will not have to pay for our drinks tonight?”

This causing the rest to laugh even louder at Fandral’s surprised face. But luckily after a moment Fandral joined in the laughter and raised his glass to Muriel.

“My hats off to you Muriel. It seems you have more moves than I gave you credit for. Yes, I will pay for both of your drinks personally.”  He grinned as he raised himself from his seat. “But now that you have set the pace I cannot stay behind.” And with that he was off into the crowd and made his way to a corner where a couple of good looking woman were talking together.

The whole atmosphere in the inn was very pleasant. I talked with my friends but found it just as nice to observe the people around me. I was enjoying myself immensely as I found it fun to see people enjoy themselves without airs or fake personas. This was my idea of a good night. No stuffy nobles pretending they were the greatest thing to ever happen to the world. I looked at my friends and was glad they were enjoying themselves just as much, Muriel was busy in conversation with Thor and they were throwing back ale like it was nothing. There were a few men talking to Sif and I could see every so often that Thor would look over at her before continuing his conversation with Muriel. I was still in Muriel’s lap and was talking to Volstagg as Hogun left talking to a friendly woman he seemed to fancy. 

It was fun to see the people in the tavern. They were loose and free and the more ale they drank the friskier they became. It was not like they were having sex right then and there but there was some serious making out happening all over the place.

After a while Volstagg went to see if he could locate Hogun and Muriel and Thor were having a sort of mini drinking contest. I was amazed at the sheer amount of ale they both could drink but I had to move from Muriel's lap as I didn’t want to get fully drenched by all that they were splashing around. I didn’t know how they could drink as much as they did. I only had a mug or three and I was already very giddy. So I decided to take it a bit slower. There was a crowd around the two of them cheering them on but after about 8 glasses of ale Muriel declared Thor the winner. I was suddenly a bit sorry because then I remembered it was Fandral who would have to pay for Muriel’s drinks. But again, I giggled as I thought it might have just been the reason for Muriel to partake in the drinking game. Sure, it wasn’t that he didn’t like Fandral but it was clear Muriel liked to put him in his place. I turned my eyes back on the people in the room and I could see Sif standing in the corner talking to a man looking very bored. As our eyes locked I could see her give me a look that said please rescue me from this guy.

I wanted to go and help her but suddenly I got this tiny idea. I looked over to see Thor still sitting at the table talking to some random people.

“Thor I think Sif could use some rescuing from that man there. It seems that she might be too polite to tell him to go away.”

As he looked over I could tell he was getting quite drunk as he slurred his speech a tiny bit in his reply.

 “Aurora, Sif can handle herself.”  He said as he watched them. “If she does not like his advances she can beat him up in seconds.” He added with a darker tone in his voice.

Thor could be thick I thought. So I decided to give him some advice. “Thor a woman does not always like to beat men up. Yes, Sif is a warrior and she is formidable. But maybe she could use a gentleman to come to her rescue and drive men off so she doesn’t have to do so. She is a very beautiful woman and men can be rude pigs if they want to be. But if you are not up for it I'll ask Muriel to be a gentleman an step in to get that guy off her.”

I could see Thor look at Sif again like he saw her for the first time. “You mean to presume the man is being rude to her?” he said and I could see his hands ball into fists.

Right at that moment I could see the drunk weasel She was talking to trying to cop a feel of her ass. Before I even had time to react Thor was out of his seat and over to where the man and Sif stood. He nearly shoved the man over a table shouting to him that he needed to learn how to treat a woman. I could see Sif’s surprise at his actions and I gave her a wink. Thor asked if she was alright she nodded and I saw her motion towards two empty seats in the corner and order two ales. I couldn’t help but grin. My work was done and now she had to do the rest herself. Muriel had seen and heard the whole thing and was grinning as he turned towards me.

“So that’s why you wanted to go into town?” He laughed as he pulled me back on his lap. “It was not you who was trying to land yourself a man.” He said into my ear while softly nibbling on my earlobe. I couldn’t help think he felt a bit looser with his emotions and mannerisms. Clearly the alcohol had loosened him a bit. Thankfully he was not as intoxicated as some of the rest of the men in the inn. But I quite liked it that I could feel his emotions far easier.

I giggled. “I have no idea what you mean my Prince.” I whispered back with a very innocent voice while wiggling a bit in his lap. He instantly pulled me closer against him.

“Aurora.” He nearly growled into my ear. “I promised you I would take things slow but if you are going to act like that just know that you are making it very hard for me to keep my promise.”

His dominant side was clearly showing. As I was clearly giddy on the alcohol myself I couldn’t help but feel his words in the core of my body. It kind of surprised me that this simple dominant vibe Muriel was sending out was turning me on. This resulted in us kissing a bit more passionately than I would normally feel would be appropriate in public. But as I looked around for a second I couldn’t care as compared with some of the people I the in our kissing was still quite demure. Making out with Muriel like this had put ourselves into quite a state. When we finally came up for air I thought it best to cool down a bit. So I excused myself so I could go to the bathroom and cool down a bit.

I found the bathroom and to my relief I didn’t have to wait and was done quite quickly. I straightened myself out in the mirror and smiled as I saw my reflection. I was looking a bit flushed but could not help but have a big grin on my face. I couldn’t help but like how Muriel could make me feel sexy and wanted. I splashed a bit of water in my neck to cool down some more and started to make my way back. As I walked out of the bathroom a sound coming from the dark hallway caught my ears. I could not help but feel a bit adventurous and was curious what more there was to do in this in. So I decided to go explore. I followed a corridor with rooms filled with people laughing and playing games on each side. I explored the corridor further as it turned. This section of the inn was very calm and it looked like no one was back here. The corridor was very dark and at the end of the corridor was a single room. The door was ajar and there was light coming from the room. As curiosity was getting the better of me I followed to corridor till I reached the door. I looked in and saw a sort of smaller reception room. It was a cozy reception room and looked like it was a part of a sort of fancier suite. It must be for when nobles would stay at the inn. There was a fire burning in the hearth that gave the room a soft glow. But what caught my eye was what was happening in front of the fire.

On the floor in front of the fire was a thick looking rug. But on this rug, there was a pretty woman lying on her back. She was naked and her back was arching from the ground. Between her legs was a man. He had his arms around her hips and his face was buried between her legs. It was clear she was thoroughly enjoying what he was doing as she was moaning and arching from the ground. When the man looked up to enjoy the sight of his partners pleasure my eyes went wide. As his silhouette was quite recognizable in the light of the fire. I instantly knew I was looking at Fandral. They were both totally naked and she seemed to enjoy herself. I felt blood starting to rush towards my cheeks as I quickly turned to give them some privacy. I made my way back into the corridor and around the corner. But as I rounded the corner I was startled as I walked straight into someone. A pair of strong arms went around me and as I looked up I could see Muriel smile at me.

“You really need to look up when you round corners.”  He grinned as he steadied me and I looked up at him but I could see his eyes focus on my face.

“What is back there that has you blushing as madly as a maiden?” Muriel asked as he grinned mischievously and he looked over my shoulder towards the slightly open door in the back. 

“Nothing we should interrupt.” I said quickly as I felt my blush grow. I took Muriel’s hand and tried to pull him towards the main room of the tavern. But Muriel spun me around and back into his arms and kissed my neck.

“But Aurora I think I want to go see for myself.” He said with a mischievous tone in his voice.

I struggled a bit as he gently tried to push me towards the open door.

“Muriel no.” I whispered softly. “We shouldn’t go there, I shouldn’t have gone there. They are doing something that should be kept private.”

But to my horror Muriel just kept moving us towards the other room. I tried to struggle a bit more but he just wrapped his arms around me, pressed me against him and with ease lifted my feet from the floor. He continued his way towards the room in the back with me in his arms. As we neared the door he placed me on the ground before him and turned me so my back was against his chest. I tried to wiggle free but he just held me in place as he positioned us so that we could look into the room while we covered in the shadow of the dark hallway.

I closed my eyes but I could hear Muriel’s voice in my ear.

“Aurora open your eyes.” He softly whispered and I don’t know why but I did as he said.

In front of me in the light of the fire were the woman and Fandral. She was clearly still enjoying what he was doing to her. She now was moaning loudly while Fandral was pleasuring her with his mouth and hands. I could feel Muriel move against my back and his arms snaked around my middle pulling me flat against him. I could feel him grind his hips against my backside.

It was a weird sensation. In one hand, it felt wrong to invade a persons privacy and watch them from the dark. But on the other with Muriel’s arms around me and his hips grinding against my backside it was also strangely arousing. My breath began to grow heavier as I watched Fandral's hands and mouth hungrily devour the woman. Muriel started to move his arms. He held one arm around my waist to keep me in place but with his other hand he slowly moved upwards. There were butterflies in my stomach and I could feel him slowly kiss a sensitive part on my neck. I closed my eyes and leaned into his chest. I could feel his hand trail its way upwards till I felt it gently cupping my breast through the bodice of the dress. 

“Aurora you have no idea how enticing your breasts look from this angle.” He groaned in my ear while looking down.

This whole thing was very arousing and combined with the alcohol I could not help but act on my feelings. I lifted one of my arms and hooked it behind his neck giving him and even better view of my cleavage. I could hear him suck in his breath and I could feel his hand massage my breast a bit harder. All the while I could feel him grind against my back and I could hear his breathing become a bit louder. As we stood there the sound from the room became louder and we saw the woman climax on Fandral’s mouth and fingers. She looked like she was in absolute heaven but as soon as her sounds died down a bit Fandral repositioned himself. My eyes went wide as I noticed the massive erection between Fandral’s legs and my breath hitched. Of course, Muriel noticed and grinned in my ear.

“Hmmm, it seems you are enjoying the sight of his arousal.” He purred into my ear as both his hands where now driving me crazy caressing and stroking my breasts over my clothes. His hips still moving against my backside. With his arms no longer pinning me against him I could have moved. But I was so aroused at this moment that I voluntarily pressed my ass against his groin. I could tell he was aroused to as I could feel his erection grow each time he ground his hips into my back. I could feel waves of pure lust come from him and I could not help but let out a small whimper. As soon as he heard the sound he turned me around so I was facing him. He lifted me and pinned me against the wall, kissing me like there was no tomorrow.

His erection was now grinding at all the right spots between my legs causing a heavenly buildup to start in the lower part of my stomach. I pulled back from the kiss to get some air and as my head fell to one side Muriel immediately started exploring my neck. It didn’t take him long to find that heavenly sensitive spot on my neck and I could not help but moan. I curled my hands in his hair so I could keep him in that spot. I could feel him move one hand between us and lift the bulk of my dress. With the fabric out of the way he used one hand on my ass to keep me at the right height and with his other hand he placed one of my legs around his hip. This gave both of us even more friction as he grinded against me. This extra friction caused him to moan into my neck and I could not believe how good it felt hearing him like that. I rolled my head back to give him even more access to my neck and chest and my eyes roamed back towards the pair in the other room. The woman was now on her hands and knees and Fandral was behind her. He was setting a hard pace as he was sliding in and out of her. Again, hearing the loud sounds the woman was making she clearly was enjoying his pace. Fandral seemed to be quite capable in what he was doing. He snaked an arm around the woman's stomach and pulled so she now was sitting on her knees and her back was against his front. While keeping his pace his hands began massaging her breast and I could see the woman’s head fall back into the crook of his neck.

The visual of the pair in front of me while Muriel was deliciously grinding against all the right places was quite overwhelming. My body screamed for more, I almost wanted him to rip off my clothes and take me right there in the hallway. But there was this little voice in my mind warned me not to give in and have sex right now with him. Muriel had released the hold of his lips on my neck and I could see him turn his head and watch Fandral fuck the woman. His hips matching the pace that Fandral used to slam into that woman. 

Muriel gave a low growl as his lips found my earl. “Aurora I wish I was able to take you right here against this wall." He said in a deep and husky voice. "But I will not have our first time be in a lowly tavern."

I could hear him moan again as he was still pounding his erection against me. The sensation between my legs had been building steadily now and I knew it would not be long before it would send me over the edge. I was softly moaning into his ear and I could feel his moves become less controlled. He pulled back a bit to look at me but it made me a bit self-conscious so I pulled him into a passionate kiss. I now wrapped my other leg also around his waist hoping he would make sure that we wouldn’t fall. Immediately both his hands cupped my ass and gripping me tightly. His hands now pulling me hard against him as his hips furiously grinding me. Within seconds I was panting as I released him from the kiss and I knew I was nearly there. I could feel Muriel was also very close. He removed one hand from my ass and he pulled my hair making my chest pop out and me bear my neck to him. He kissed and scraped his teeth down my throat and I couldn’t help but fall over the edge. My whole body was on fire as my orgasm hit my body. I tried my best to suppress any sounds I was making but I couldn’t help but throw my arms around Muriel's neck and try to stifle my moaning in his neck and hair. My legs spasmed around his waist making me buck against his erection. I could hear Muriel saying something that sounded like elvish but my mind was too far gone to care. I could feel him tense against me as his hands were back on my ass pushing me against him. He let out a groan into my neck and I could feel him climax. He placed his head in the crook of my neck and I wove my fingers into his hair and I held him as we both rode out the rest of our orgasm. While we were slowly calming down we heard Fandral grunt loudly. Just as he came the woman started moaned loudly. Coming down from my lust filled mind I couldn’t help but think she sounded a bit over the top as she kept moaning.

Muriel seemed to think the same as I heard him grin in my ear. "Thank the Norns you don't sound like that or I might think you were only pretending to enjoy what we just did."

I looked at him and smiled back as he gently lowered me down to the ground. My legs were a bit unsteady so I held on to him for a moment. I could see Muriel make a little hand movement and I could see him looking refreshed once more. I smiled and instantly did the same. I could swear my hair would be a lost cause so I focused on my magic again and decided to put it in a long braid. Muriel gave me a wink as he pulled me close and kissed me gently.

"Now Aurora I think it would be better for us to rejoin the others before Fandral might find us here. While I cannot imagine he would mind as he is quite the exhibitionist I don't want him to know you have seen him like that. I believe his mind already has enough to think about without picturing you watching him during sex.” Muriel said and I could sense he was feeling very protective of me at the moment. 

I just nodded and linked my arm through his and we walked arm in arm back to the main room. When we reached our table Hogun and Volstagg where grinning like idiots. When Muriel and I took our seats I looked around to find out what they had seen to make them grin like that. It was then that I saw a couple kissing passionately on the other side of the room. I could not help the same grin spread over my face as I noticed the couple looking surprisingly much like Thor and Sif. I couldn’t help but laugh and elbow Muriel and point him towards the two.

"Well it seems that your mission was successful." Hogun said as he gave me a big grin.

"Was it that obvious why Sif and I wanted to join you tonight?" I asked and laughed loudly as he and Hogun both nodded.

"Yes, it was obvious when Sif entered the room looking like that.” Volstagg grinned. “She never changes her clothes when she comes with us on such nights. I do not think Thor knew what hit him when he saw her in that outfit. The big oaf had no idea she could look so feminine. As always he was quite oblivious towards Sif and her intentions until you both forced him to open his eyes."

I grinned. "Well I just hope they have a chance. Sure, he sees her now but I hope they can find each other and have a future together."

Volstagg waved a waiting girl down and ordered another round of ale. As the big tankards were once more in our hands he proposed a toast.

"To the future may it bring love and friendship to the ones that are worthy." He bellowed and I smiled as not only our table but the whole room joined in on his toast. The rest of the evening was filled with laughter and cheer and more ale. After a short while Fandral reappeared and the warriors three drank and shared stories. Me and Muriel mostly listened as we cuddled together feeling very comfortable and relaxed. Halfway through the night Thor and Sif seemed to vanish for a bit only to reappear an hour later with very smug looks on their faces. It was very late and I was on the verge of being outright drunk as we made our way back to the castle. Muriel tried to get me to let him spend the night in my room but with what had happened and my current state of intoxication I thought it better to resist. With an adorable look of disappointment on his face he kissed me goodnight and made his way to his own room. I left a little note for Yara telling her I wanted to sleep in and I manually changed into my nightgown. I had tried to use my magic but the gown just ended up on the floor and me giggling next to it. When I managed to dress myself in the gown I got a glass of water and climbed into bed. It had been a truly amazing evening and I fell asleep with a big smile plastered on my face. 

 


	21. Chapter 21

I was awoken by a small tingle at the back of my neck.

" _Aurora are you awake yet?"_

 I groaned. My head felt twice its size and I swear there was a little dwarf inside with a hammer trying to chisel its way out.

 _"Ugh Loki please.”_ I managed to get out as I focused on our bond. “ _No I wasn’t awake and as you can probably feel I'm not having a very good morning. Why did you wake me?"_

 I could actually feel his amusement through our bond.

 _"Well you wanted to go riding this afternoon and since its already 13:00 I thought I would check on you."_ His voice had a mock concern in it and I could feel he was enjoying teasing me with my hangover. It would have even been funny if the pain in my head did not nearly double as I sat up in bed.

 _"Aurora can I come over?"_ Loki's voice said and I could feel his enjoyment of my current state lessen as he felt my pain.

  _"Yes, just don't expect me to greet you at the door."_ I said as I let myself gently sink back into bed again.

Within moments the passageway in the book case opened and Loki came walking in. Without saying a word he sat next to me and placed his hands over my temples. I could feel a cool wave of magic flow through me and immediately the headache nearly vanished. I opened one eye testing the light. But the pain didn’t come back and a bit more carefully I sat back up again. Again no headache and I felt a lot better. As I sat up I looked at Loki.

"What did you do? It didn’t feel like a healing spell." I asked curiously.

Loki shook his head. "When you drink you deplete the natural state of your body. Normally you need to replenish this with food and drink. But because we both have a large amount of Seidr I can use my Seidr to replenish you and therefore make you feel better."

"So you just gave me a magic transplant?" I asked curiously and it made him laugh.

"Yes, something like that.” He grinned. “While in normal circumstances it’s quite hard to do. Not only is not all Seidr compatible there usually is also a great deal of loss while transferring seidr. But to be honest when I just tried it was quite easy. I think somehow the bond between us has made our Seidr much more compatible. It also could be because your Seidr is basically derived from Fenrir who is of course my son."

I thought it over. "But that means you didn’t know it would have been this easy to do right?"

Loki just smiled and shook his head. "No, but I am your guardian Aurora. While I might find it funny I will not let you suffer in pain if I can help it.” Suddenly he leapt from my bed and threw my blankets off me with a grin. “Now get out of bed and get dressed! Shadow has been waiting for you."

I laughed and threw the rest of blankets off me and with a wave of my hand I showered, dressed and tied my hair into a high pony tail letting some bits of hair fall down my face instead of the braid.

Loki looked at me and noticed the different hair style. "You are getting the hang of that." He said as he pointed at my hair.

"I might have practiced some. While the more intricate styles are still too much for me to handle. The simpler ones I can play with. Creating something different."

Loki smiled. "That is the down side of being a pretty female. All the things you need to do to maintain your beauty can be quite exhausting. Men can just come and go with the same clothes or hair without being mocked."

I just looked at him with disbelief. "And what would you know about that my Prince?" I mocked in a playful tone.

I could see a mischievous smile form on his face and before me he moved his hand in an intricate motion and as I stood there Loki changed. He grew thinner and became more curvaceous. His face became softer and his hair longer. His lips were fuller and as I blinked there was now a beautiful female Loki in front of me. I could not help but examine her as she stood before me. I nearly walked a whole circle around her to study the change.

A velvety voice came from the woman. Clearly female but still with a hint of Loki "I think I might have mentioned that I have been known to take a female form from time to time." She grinned as I just stood there.

I walked over to her and I took her hand just to make sure she was real. As I took her hand I was surprised that there was no magic tingle like there had been with Muriel's illusion. I concentrated but I just felt flesh.

As I looked up I saw her looking down since she still was taller than me. I reached to touch her face and then concentrated on her feelings. She felt familiar but at the same time different. It seemed that she wasn’t just Loki in a female body but a slightly different person altogether as his emotions were slightly different now that he was a she.

"It's so strange." I said to her. "I can tell it's not an illusion as I would have felt a small tingle of magic needed to keep the illusion in place. So you must have actually transformed yourself into a woman. But I thought you would still be Loki 100% the same on the inside."

I was more thinking out loud then actually talking to her.

She took my hand and touched it. "I still am Loki on the inside." Her smooth voice said. "I still like the same things that I did before and it's still the same me and the same memories."

I shook my head and concentrated on our bond. _"No that's not what I mean. Here I'll try to make it clearer."_ I concentrated on how she felt with my empathic ability and tried to send this to Loki through our bond. _"Do you feel that?"_ I asked and I saw her nod.

_"That’s how you feel to me now when I feel you emphatically. If you change back I will try to keep our bond open. It will show you the difference."_

Again she nodded and before me she slowly turned back into a male Loki again. I watched her hand slowly changing back into his. While I was still holding it, and concentrating on our connection.

I could see Loki's eyes widen as I could tell he registered the changes that I felt when he was fully back to male form.

 _"See you feel different to me like this.”_ I said with a smile. “ _I don’t think_ _It's because I know this form better but there are enough subtle differences that I think you might actually be remotely different depending on what gender you are in."_

"That is so strange." He said as he released my hand and sat on the chair in front of the vanity. "I never suspected that when I changed my body I would also change my feelings. Even weirder was that you felt different." He said while looking up to me with a mischievous grin.

I don't know why but his words caused me to blush.

"What do you mean?" I asked because I still wanted to know what he meant.

"It was because we were linked when I transformed I got to feel your emotions change as well when I changed from female to male. While part of it was because you are more familiar with me in my male form. Normally I can feel some chemistry or how you call it between us. But when I was in female form it was less like chemistry and more friendship." Loki shook his head with a laugh. "It's hard to put into words. But I think I just confirmed that you are definitely attracted to men and not to woman."

This was doing nothing to stop me from blushing.

"Ugh, if you were wondering about that I could have told you." And I threw my hands up in the air. "If I’m attracted to woman do you think I would have tried to set up Sif with your brother?"

I could not keep a straight face as I saw Loki's reaction to my words. He actually was stunned just sitting there with his mouth open not knowing what to say.

"What?" I asked laughing. "She is a beautiful woman."

This caused Loki to pout a bit and I was torn between teasing him or not. While it was very like a man to pout over something like this. I could also feel he was a bit insecure because he just had shown me something very personal.

So, I walked behind him and threw my arms around him to give him a hug. "You’re a very beautiful woman Loki. I was just joking about Sif. While I can appreciate beautiful woman it's not something I'm attracted to."

It was so weird but I could feel him being cheered up by my words. I couldn’t help but giggle a bit as my mind flashed back to another comment on men's fragile ego's. But I decided to keep that to myself.

As I stood up I pulled him with me. “Now come with me my beauty queen I have a stallion to go see.” But before I knew what happened I was picked up and thrown on my bed and in an instant Loki was on top of me tickling the life out of me. I screamed from laughing as tears ran down my face.

"You will learn." He laughed. "I am not a mattress. I am not a handmaiden and I am most definitely not a beauty queen."

I was glad I was wearing my leather riding clothes. As it dampened the tickling a little bit but he still was driving me mad.

"I don't get you." I managed to get out. "You are annoyed when I say another woman is more beautiful and then also annoyed when I say you are a beauty queen."

Lok doubled his efforts with tickling and I let out another squeal. But I could not stop teasing.

"Normally I might call you a fickle maiden but I don't think I would survive." I squealed. At the same time, I focused my mind and thought hard at the lessons Loki had given me about illusion. I still wasn’t very good at the bigger things but I could do small things. I imagined a mouse and before my eyes a small mouse materialized and jumped from the bed to Loki's face.

It caught him by surprise and he nearly fell backwards off the bed. Giving me enough time to scramble to my feet and jump off the other side of the bed. So now there was a bed between us. He was looking at me in surprise. His breath coming fast from tickling me and a big smile on his face. Still I wanted to try and get even. While I could never outwit him with magic I knew my words would have to suffice. I just knew I had mischief written all over my face as I tried to bait him.

"Well another comment about a maiden scared of mice crosses my mind. But I don't want to make my guardian interfere between us to save my life. I heard he’s a great warrior and you might not defeat him as easily as you can defeat me." I grinned.

This earning me a smile from him. "Why flattery will get you everywhere." Was the only reply he gave as he motioned me over and I knew it was safe to come out of hiding behind my bed. “Well I’m afraid we've been keeping Arturo waiting too long. So I think we should teleport if you don't mind."

Loki grinned as I nearly leaped into his arms.

“What?” I laughed. “I like teleporting it’s just a damn shame I don’t dare to try it on my own.”

And with Loki’s arms around me we plopped into the stables. As we walked out I saw Arturo standing near Shadow. As soon as Shadow saw me he whinnied and raced towards me. I hugged him and stroked his soft nose.

“Hello my beautiful prince.” I greeted Shadow. I was very glad to see him but I heard Loki sigh behind me.

“And him she calls a beautiful prince.” He said with mock despair in his voice.

I could not help but stick my tongue out to him laughing. I saw Loki’s horse had been made ready too and I walked over to give her a pat too as I could feel her wanting the same attention Shadow was getting. While Shadow bended down so I could more easily reach the stirrups of the make shift elven saddle I remembered I didn’t know the name of Loki’s horse. She was also very beautiful and nearly fully black like Shadow.

“Loki what’s her name? I never thought to ask before.” I said as we both had mounted our horses.

Loki smiled at me. “While she has a very long and royal name I never use it. I just call her Lady. I think it suits her.” I could see him affectionately stroke her.

We slowly made our way out of town and when we reached the grasslands surrounding it I motioned Shadow into a full out sprint. He could outrun Lady with ease but I could feel Shadow holding back a bit giving Lady time to catch up so they could run side by side. I smiled at that as it was very endearing to see he liked her.

“Why are you smiling?” Loki asked as he looked at me.

“It seems that my Prince is a bit enamored with your Lady.” I laughed and a smile formed on Loki’s face too.

“In that case your prince has very good taste.” He said and almost as a reply Shadow let out a snort of air.

We rode for a few hours and to my surprise I could hardly feel any saddle pain when Loki mentioned the time. Previous long times in the saddle had still left me feeling sore. But after hours riding with Loki I felt nothing. And I was glad for it.

“It seems you are ready just in time.” Loki said with a smile as we let our horses slowly make their way back to the city.

I looked over to Loki with my eyebrows raised.

“Father told me this morning that the date for the trip to Alfheim is set. We are to leave in four days. Giving us about three to four days to travel to Alfheim with our little party. The rest will be via the bifrost. When we arrive, we will meet with King Merinor and there will be formal introductions. After the introductions, we are to retire and get ready for dinner. The next few days Thor and I will probably be in a few meetings but Muriel will take care of you during those. It seems king Merinor has asked us to stay longer than we first intended so we can join their celebrations. They celebrate the elven Moon festival around this time.”

I raised my brow. “The moon festival?” I asked as I looked at Loki.

Loki nodded. “They worship the moon with this festival as you can tell by the name. The whole palace is decorated it’s quite a beautiful festival. It’s a sort of masquerade ball as all the elves wear masks and for that night alone it’s permitted to dance with total strangers. As they say the night is the embodiment of the moon courting the sun. The men will be dressed in silver and white and the woman will be dressed in gold. It’s a story about the sun and moon being deeply in loving but they can only glimpse each other at the moments between night and day. Never fully knowing one another but always longing to be together. But once every hundreds of thousands of years there will be an eclipse and they can spend some time in each other’s company for several minutes.” Loki looked at me and smiled. “They say on those rare moments the sun and the moon make love and give birth to new stars and planets.”

I smiled. “It’s hard for me to wrap my head around the elves. They are so graceful and from the stories you tell they seem very romantic. I cannot see how that lines up with the other stories I've heard about their personalities. People tend to see them as cold and distant in describing them. Beautiful and graceful but snobbish nonetheless..”

Loki stared a bit in the distance before he spoke. “After my time living with them I know that they can seem that way but they are a very passionate people. Even more than my own I think. But they store their passion inside and only let it show in private. But once you get close to one you realize they are not as cold as they look from the outside.” He looked sideways to me. “But I guess you have already found that out with Muriel.”

I blushed and looked at Shadows manes. “While I understand your words I do think Muriel might be different. I have not met other elves but from what Sif tells me his time in Asgard has changed him. Making him more relaxed and open than the rest of his race.”

Loki nodded. “Muriel always was different even back in Alfheim. That is why we liked each other right away. He was more open in his approach of people and sometimes he was even called over emotional by others of his kind. His life in Asgard suits him well. I fear his time in Alfheim will be very challenging for him.”

We rode silently through the city. The cries and sounds around us preventing us from talking. When we reached the stables, Arturo came to take Shadow from me but I shook my head.

“Arturo I would like to take care of him like you showed me but I would like for you to watch if you don’t mind. The trip will be in four days and I need to make sure I can take care of Shadow without anyone’s help. If I neglect or do anything wrong please remind me.”

I saw him smile and nod and I began to remove the saddle and the rest from Shadows back. After about 20 minutes I was satisfied with my work and I could see Arturo smile at me.

“So normally if I feel Shadow is cold I would cover him with a blanket. But for now I won’t do that as he feels fine and he’s going back into the stable for night. Did I forget anything?” I asked as I looked at Arturo.

He assured me I did great and I could not help but feel proud. I quickly freshened myself as it was nearly dinner time. I could see Loki do the same and we made our way to the dining hall. When we had nearly reached the hall, I was suddenly stopped by a woman. I recognized her from somewhere but couldn’t place her right away but I could see Loki tense. The woman was very nervous and clearly had been waiting for me to come near the dining hall.

“Princess may I have a word?” She asked and looked nervously at Loki but motioned to the side of the hall so we were somewhat out of sight.

I nodded and smiled to her hoping she would be less nervous.

“I am sorry for taking up your time.”  The woman nervously said. “But I needed to talk to you to thank you.”

With that she sank down on her knees grabbing my hand and starting to weep. As I saw the tears run down her face it immediately struck me who this was. This was Master Renfield’s wife and I could feel my own throat close as I felt her emotions. I felt very guilty because the trip with Shadow had made me forget all about Renfield’s execution this morning.

“Princess please I do not know how to thank you for the kindness you have shown me and my family.” The woman said in tears. “I am forever in your debt and I would ask you what I can do to repay this debt.” Her tears were streaming down her face and loud sobs were shaking her body as she sat there on her knees.

My hart nearly broke as I felt her grief and fear. She feared me. She felt I had ulterior motives for saving her and her children and she was now asking what they were. I didn’t care I was in a hallway and people were looking at us. I just sank down on my knees in front of her and I could see the shock on her face. I squeezed her hand as I could feel tears forming in my eyes too.

“Please tell me your name.” I asked as I looked at her.

“It is Rona, my princess.” She replied averting her eyes.

I reached out and softly lifted her chin so she was now looking back.

“Hello Rona. I’m sorry for what has happened to you and your family. I understand full well you have just lost your husband and the father to your children and you have my condolences. I never wished for him to lose his life. To be honest I never wished for any of that to happen. As I’m sure you and your children never wanted this to happen either.” I said as I gave her a sad smile.

Ronna nodded. “Yes, we never wanted this to happen. But I cannot change the outcome of my husband’s actions.” 

I could feel the sadness behind her words.

“That’s why I could never let you or your children be punished for his actions.” I said hoping she would understand. I could feel a hopeful feeling forming inside her but immediately it was squashed down by her fear.

“You are too kind princess but I must insist that you tell me how I can make up our debt to you.” She said as she looked at me.

I could feel her helplessness at the situation. She was terrified I would force her or her children to do things they were not comfortable with. Although I could not imagine what it was she thought I would do with them. I could feel she needed answers. I just hoped I could give her some.

“Rona you can repay your debt to me by raising your children right.”  I said as I looked at her and gave her a small reassuring smile. “Make sure they learn from the mistakes their father made. And I hope that without his presence in time you are able make your life and theirs a happy one. That is all I want as repayment. I give you my word that there is nothing I will add to this list as repayment for what I did.”

She looked at me bewildered unable to believe my words. I looked up towards Loki who was watching us.

“My Prince will you bear witness to the words I've just said to her. So that I can never go back on them?” I asked. Hoping this would help her accept my word.

I knew Loki was a high placed member of Odin’s court and his word counted for a lot. Loki nodded and took Rona’s hands to pull her back on her feet. I followed and I saw her eyes go big at Loki’s gesture of help.

“Rona I swear I will be witness to Princess Aurora’s words. If ever needed I will give testimony of the fact that the only repayment Princess Aurora wishes is that you raise your children honorably and if able make sure their lives and your own are happy ones. You have my word.” He said and he gave her a small bow.

I could feel the burden and fear drop from her shoulders as a small smile formed on her face. While the sadness over the loss of her husband stayed, I could feel my words had brought peace within her. She grabbed my hand again and raised it to her chest.

“I thank you for your kindness Princess. I will do my utmost to do as you ask and raise my children honorably and happily.” She bowed deeply several times looking happier each time.

“Then I’m satisfied Rona thank you.” I said as I gave her a small bow indicating she could go if she wanted to which she did immediately.

I looked at Loki and he slowly took my arm in his. I knew he could feel I was very stressed at the moment. I did my best to keep my cool but this whole thing had shaken me up once more. The guilt over Renfield’s fate was one thing. But I also felt very angry. What kind of people were these nobles when normal people would think that the only way they would help was because of ulterior motives? I wished I could wrap Loki’s arms around me so he could properly calm me but his arm had to do. We quickly made our way towards the dining hall trying to avoid further spectacle.

“Loki she was so afraid.” I whispered. “Her heart broken over her husband and thinking I had some nefarious reason for saving her. Why is it so hard for her to believe I did it because It was the right thing to do?” I sighed.

Loki squeezed my hand and softly replied. “Because Aurora you are almost too kind. Any other noble would have requested their servitude or special favors for the rest of her and her children’s lives. Nothing is ever free in Asgard. There is always a reason or calculation behind anything that is done here.”

I focused on our link. _“But that is so not true. How about you and your mother and father. They made me a princess for god’s sake and there was no reason that any of you were obligated to be this nice to me. You could have left me to fend for myself or even sent me back to earth.”_

I could feel Loki’s mood suddenly darken. _“Aurora I do not want to be cruel or make you fearfull. But I know my mother and father. They are not bad people but they had a reason for what they did for you. It’s been haunting me from the beginning. For I know they are keeping something from us about your situation. Believe me I have asked them both and they have denied it but I am the god of lies. I know deception when I see it and I know they had an ulterior motive to do so. I just cannot figure out what it is and believe me I am still worried about that.”_

I could feel his irritation and worry when he told me this and I could feel he was certain he was right. I just walked next to him in silence. I knew he wouldn’t have said it if it was untrue. But his words were very disturbing and to be honest I didn’t want to dwell on them right now. I promised myself that for now I would take this world and the friends I had as they were. I had been given a beautiful gift from Frigga and Odin. I decided I would be thankful and worry about what Loki had said if these ulterior motives would ever present themselves. I was a bit quiet and restless during dinner as I was shaken from what Loki had said but also from meeting Rona. I could not help but think about the poor woman. Even when our group stayed after dinner and Muriel joined us I found it hard to cheer up. Loki had told the others what had happened with Rona and they luckily understood my mood. They seemed to know I needed some time. When it was getting late and I was ready to leave it was Muriel who escorted me back to my room. He stayed a bit and we ended up cuddling on the sofa. I was in no mood to do more than that and luckily he didn’t mind. I was getting very comfortable in his presence and I could swear I felt a deep warmth come from him as I slowly drifted to sleep in his arms.

 


	22. Chapter 22

I woke the next morning in my own bed and found a little note and a beautiful autumn leaf next to me on the pillow. The note read:

_I hope you slept well and do not mind that I tucked you into bed after you fell asleep. I found this leaf while walking the gardens and It reminded me of your beautiful red hair. I cannot wait to dance with you at the moon festival as you already are the sun in my life._

I could not help but smile at his sweet words although there was a little voice nagging inside my mind. While I had liked my time with Muriel I just had this small feeling that he was trying too hard to be romantic. I instantly felt bad about this little voice. Since Muriel had been nothing but sweet and attentive. There definitely was a chemistry between us as had been quite obvious when we went into town and also there were enough times that I could feel his lust for me. But I could not help but notice the absence of love. Yes, I felt warmth and friendship but never a romantic kind of love come from him. This made his romantic words feel hollow and made me think that he was trying too much. But then again I liked that he tried at all and to be honest I didn’t want to over think things as I was no better. I loved his company but I still had no feelings resembling love. But it only had been a few days so who knew. I was perfectly fine with us taking it slow to see where it would go. But I could not help think what my feelings would be like without my empathic abilities. Would I have been swept off my feet? Or would I still be this calm and rational about this whole situation. I remembered Frigga’s words about my ability that it would be a gift and a curse at the same time. While I didn’t think of it as a curse just yet I could not help but agree that it complicated one’s life.

Before I knew it, the next few days flew by. I was so busy with the last preparations for the trip that I thought I never would get ready in time. Loki had me store all kinds of things in my void dimension I swear it was as if he was preparing for a three-month trip. I noticed he and Muriel both were a bit stressed these last few days. At first I couldn’t for the life of me figure out why until it dawned on me that this would be the first time they were both going back together to Alfheim. I hoped it wouldn’t bring back bad memories for them both as they were nearly getting along again. But then again this time I would be there and I hoped I could help them sort through stuff if things went sour. I knew they would at least try to get along just for my sake. 

That afternoon it was Muriel who cornered me in the library where I was relaxing in a bay window. He handed me a book. It looked handmade and delicate and I gave him a surprised look. As I opened the book I saw it was about the art of fighting with knives. The thing that surprised me even more was that the book seemed to be hand written. As I flipped through the pages I saw beautiful animated drawings showing knife movements and much more.

“Muriel it’s a very beautiful book. Is it handmade?” I asked as I looked up to him.

I could see a grin spread on his face and he took a seat next to me. “Yes it’s hand written.” He smiled.

With a flick of his hand he conjured up a similar looking book. It looked almost identical to mine. But I could see it was written in elvish and it had to be a lot older as it looked beautifully worn.

“When I reached my 250th birthday my father gifted me this book.” He said as he tapped the older one. “It’s part of a series of books given from father to son and so on. There are a lot of parts of the series each detailing on a certain fighting style or weapon. Each fighter has a preferred type of weapon and as he masters this the final step is adding to the book. Making sure each generation, the younger generations learn about the fighting style of their elders. While it’s partly symbolic as usually the father teaches the son to fight by relentlessly practicing with them I could not help but think. You learned to dance from a book and while I enjoyed practicing with you to perfect your movements you did learn the basics by reading a book.” 

I could see his eyes land on the book he gave me.

“So you thought that if I could read this book I could learn to handle things like knifes in the same way?” I guessed.

Muriel nodded. “Yes, from all of the different types of weapons I think knives would suit your abilities the best. You would at least know the basics and enough to defend yourself if necessary. I would advise you would practice with me or Loki to perfect things in time. But at least you would not be helpless if something happened and you were separated from your group.”

I noticed he was deeply worried as these words left his mouth.

“Muriel are you worried about me going to Alfheim?” I asked. “Is there something I should know?”

He shrugged. “In Alfheim you are safe. Especially since you are a guest of my father and I am there to help you navigate its court. But I am more concerned about the trip there. I do not know why but I have been having a bad feeling and I just do not want you to get hurt. It’s not that I do not trust our friends to get you there safely but I realized that your only part Æsir and when I remembered how easily I bruised your hand.” He stopped for a moment and shook his head as he thought back. “I hoped you would do me the favor of reading this.” And he tapped the book. “It would calm my mind considerably if I knew you knew the basics of defending yourself. It took me quite a few days to translate and write it down for you. Not to mention copying the drawings but I am quite happy with how it turned out.”

My eyes nearly popped from my head as his last words registered.

“O my god Muriel. You made this for me by hand? Even the drawings?”

He nodded and looked at me with a strange half embarrassed look on his face like he couldn’t quite discern from my reaction if I liked his gift or not. I just threw my hands around his neck and gave him a hug not caring who saw.

“Thank you so much.” I managed to get out as I pulled back so I could look him in the face. “Really Muriel thank you for taking the time to make this for me. I love the book it’s beautiful and the whole idea why you did this for me is amazingly thoughtful. I will read it as soon as I can and I’m honored you would let me read something so personal to your family.”

I could not help but close the distance between us and kiss him for I truly was quite overwhelmed by the thoughtfulness of his gift. I could feel he was relieved and happy with how I responded and I could also feel his worries lessen. Before the kiss could deepen more we pulled away before anyone would find us like this. And we positioned ourselves a bit less intimately on the window seat

“You're very welcome Aurora.” Muriel said with a smile. “I have to leave you now as I have a meeting with Frigga about the last few items for your elven wardrobe.” He said as he began to rise from his seat.

Suddenly I was very interested as I secretly had been looking forward to the elven dresses. I had asked him about them before but he seemed to like to keep me guessing till the very end. I was about to try to get him to tell me more about them but he just shook his head.

“You know what I said before.” He grinned. “I will not tell you about them. You will see them when you arrive in Alfheim and not a moment sooner.”

I just sat back pouting as he grinned and left. I knew he enjoyed surprising me. So, I let him have his moment. His latest gift was still on my lap looking beautiful. I could not believe the effort he had put into the book. Writing it all by hand and meticulously copying the drawings and infusing them with magic so they would move. I snuggled back into the pillows of the bay window and pulled up my legs. I opened the book and began reading. It was very well written and in detail explained the different knives and the ways to handle them. How to block, fight, throw and even clean them. How they should be balanced and even more. Every so often there was a small little note or extra information scribbled near the text. I smiled as I realized it was Muriel's input specially directed at me. Little things like how he thought a certain move would work better. As my strength and speed differed from that of the Elves. I was nearly halfway through the book when I noticed Loki who had taken a seat in front of me and had been watching me read.

“That seems like the most interesting book in the world judging from the way you are reading it.” He laughed. “What is it about?”

I could not help but grin like an idiot. “It’s about knives.” I said as I grinned harder as I saw Loki’s surprise.

“Knives? Why would you read a book about knives?” He asked looking at me like I was sprouting horns.

“Muriel thought that if I could learn how to dance from a book that I could learn the basics to defend myself from a book. And from what I’ve read so far I can see why he would think so. I thought knives would be a weird thing for me to use in self-defense. Because you need to face your opponent up-close. But from what I’ve been reading I now understand that in my case they are better suited to take out someone from afar by throwing them. Also, they are much easier to learn to wield for someone like me as other weapons like swords would require much more muscle to keep under control.”

Loki nodded. “That is true but I cannot think of a book in this library that would explain knife fighting in such a detail that would be helpful to you. Books about dancing yes. But as far as I know we do not have any step by step guides for learning how to fight.”

I smiled. “That’s because this book is not from this library.” I said with a giggle. I motioned Loki over so he would come and sit next to me and he did. I showed him the book and I could see his eyes widen.

“He made this for me.” I said proudly as I could see Loki read the text on the pages of the book.

As he looked up I could see and feel he was very impressed.

“He copied this from an Elvish book. It’s part of a series and it’s handed down and added to by each generation of his family. He translated and copied it even the illustrations by hand himself. He thought I could read it and learn to defend myself if needed. He said he had a bad feeling about our trip to Alfheim. That he knew you and the rest would do anything to keep me safe. But this would help him ease his worries.”

“I actually do not know what to say.” Loki said. “Other than I never thought him to be this thoughtful towards anyone. Not only did he personally make it for you and I can see he put a great deal of effort into it. I also know of the series of book this is part of. It’s supposed to be for his families eyes only. Even when we were close friends I was never allowed to see the books although he told me about them. You know he hated his father and his rules but this one he respected as he respected that the generations before him had also treasured the books and kept them a secret. So you can imagine that for him to do this for you is quite something.”

I could not help but feel my heart sink a bit as the whole depth of Muriel’s gift came to light. It was that little annoying voice again in the back of my head and of course Loki noticed.

“What is wrong?” He asked. “I cannot see how this extra information makes you feel bad as you clearly loved his gift.”

I shook my head. Was it wise to talk about my concerns, about my relationship with Muriel with him? Half of the feelings that had me worried were deeply personal. Sharing this with Loki would surely not sit right with Muriel. But then again Loki was my best friend and I hated not sharing things with him that upset me.

I could see Loki waiting for me to talk to him.

I gave him a weak smile. “You know I usually don’t mind talking about things that bother me. But in this case I think it better not to discuss this with anyone.” I could feel I was confusing him so I quickly added. “I trust you fully please don’t ever doubt that. But I have some problems with my empathic abilities and being in a relationship with someone. You know how private Muriel is with his feelings and before all this I promised him I wouldn’t talk to other people about what I learned about him with my gift. So yes, there are some things I need to figure out. But I think it’s better if I try to sort through them on my own.”

Loki nodded. “I understand. You cannot talk about this without compromising Muriel’s trust in you. But just know that I am here for you if you do need me to talk to. It would be our secret and I would do my best to help you. Just keep that in mind. I fully understand why you want to work this out on your own. Just know that you do not have to.”

I sighed and nodded. “Thank you for that. I'd rather not break someone's trust in me if I don't have to. I think for now it’s better that I try to figure this out by myself. But I’m grateful to know I have you to fall back on if needed.”

There was a silence between us and I hated that now with Muriel in our lives there seemed to be more and more things I couldn’t tell Loki. There was just this feeling that I wanted no secrets between me and him. This must be the result of our bond and probably something I had to learn to live with. Seeing as I had to learn to live my life and as soon as Loki found a woman he loved, inevitably he would keep things in his relationship a secret from me as well. I was glad Loki changed the subject as it got me to focus back on him.

"So how about you study some more and then tonight after dinner we go into the training yard to see what you can do with a knife?" He suggested after a moment.

I actually liked that idea. I was very interested to see if I had learned something from the book by then.

"Yes, I'd like that. But will there be a lot of people?” I asked as I remembered the crowd from last time. “I don't want to embarrass myself in front of all the guards." I laughed.

Loki shook his head. "I promise. There will hardly be anyone at night and if there are I will send them away if that makes you feel better.”

I smiled and agreed. He took his leave and I focused back on my book. It was near dinner time when I finally looked up at the clock and I could hear my stomach grumble. I had been rereading sections that interested me. Or the parts that seemed to be quite difficult. Studying the images as best I could. As I closed the book I saw Muriel standing against the wall watching me.

I smiled. "I really need to be more aware of my surroundings. You’re the second person today who'd been watching me read without me having any idea they were there in the first place."

He laughed. "Normally I would be all for enhanced awareness of one’s surrounding. But I must confess it's very soothing to see you totally wrapped up in your reading. Your face is an open book when you do and I am very happy to see you're enjoying my gift."

He walked over and gave me a hand so he could pull me from my seat.

"But I must confess people were missing you at the dinner table. So I volunteered to come and get you. Loki mentioned he would take you out for practice tonight. Do you mind if I come along?" he asked.

"Of course I don't mind.” I laughed. “Just don't get your hopes up about my skills. The book is very detailed and lovely but it's a lot more difficult to master then a simple dance."

Muriel laughed. "Do not worry I know. It takes years to master these things. I just wanted you to know the basics."

Before we reached the stairs down into the library he pulled me into a corner with him. He wrapped his arms around me and gave me a deep kiss. As he pulled back I looked in his eyes. He gently moved a lock of my hair from my face as he gave me a small kiss on my nose.

"Aurora when we are in Alfheim I will have to act differently." He confessed. "Not only do I have to act more demure or even cold to Thor and Loki I will also have to be more formal with you. I think it will be very hard for me to do so but I hope you will not take this personally."

I could feel his worry and I wrapped my hands around him and hugged him.

"Muriel I understand. You need to be an elven prince when you are there. You told me about the formality of the elven court. I understand and it will be hard for us both I will do my best to act more formal with you too. I don’t want to make any trouble for you or myself when I’m in your father’s court."

I could feel my words comfort him as he took my arm and he walked me down the stairs towards the dining room.

"Thank you.” He said after walking in silence. “It's all very stressful to go back. I know now is the best time for I have declined my fathers requests for a visit for too long. I am afraid what might happen when I am confronted with the life I did my best to leave behind."

I looked at him and squeezed his hand for comfort. Not wanting to interrupt his thoughts.

"I feel a lot of residual anger towards my father. To be honest I allowed myself to feel a lot more of everything while living in Asgard. I am afraid I will not be able to keep my cool and will embarrass myself by Elven standards." He sighed.

"Muriel I understand it's hard.” I said as I looked up at his worried face. “Being placed in-between two cultures you find your own way to navigate them. But I can imagine that in the end it feels like you might not fit in either. Just remember that you are you. You are not just an elf or a prince you are a combination of so much more. You are Muriel and that's all you should have to be. I understand you will try to act differently when in Alfheim. But in the end, you should be yourself. If you get angry people will have to deal with that. I understand It’s hard and scary to be different but that doesn’t mean that it's a bad thing."

I looked at him and I could see him mull over my words and a small smile formed on his lips.

"You have a wonderful and kind view of things." He said as he took my hand and kissed it. "It's hard to break a mold that suffocates you after you spend hundreds of years trying to fit into it. But once you do you always have this nagging voice. The one saying that sometimes things would be easier just to get back into it. Pretend to be something you’re not so other people will leave you alone. But I understand your words and I thank you for them."

I gave him a smile and we continued on our way again. As we reached the dining hall I realized it was a lot later than I realized. As most people were already done eating and leaving. Frigga and Odin had already left. When Muriel escorted me to the kings table it was Thor who asked him to stay and he did. I had a nice meal and laughed a lot. We discussed our plans for our trip and I was glad that it seemed we would be leaving for Alfheim the next day. Thor and Loki had somethings to discuss with Odin in the morning so we would be leaving around midday.

After dinner Loki and Muriel escorted me to the training yard. Loki took me to the back of the yard where there were a few practice dummies. I was glad to see there were no people other than the three of us there.

Loki turned to me and smiled. "Muriel and I have been talking about the best type of knife for you. We think you would be best served with a small throwing knives you can holster in the sleeves of your leather outfit. Also, we think that the elven fighting knives are also something you can master with time. They are a very elegant weapon used by male and female elves. They are intended to be used in closer combat. But we agree that the basics for this type of combat are beneficial to learn too."

I nodded taking it all in. I had seen and read the type of knives they talked about and I could see the value in their decision. With a flick of their hand Loki and Muriel both used magic to summon something wrapped in velvet. Muriel took a step towards me holding out his hands so I could unwrap the item. I took the soft velvet fabric and pulled it back to reveal a beautiful box. When I opened it, there was a set of small throwing knives. There were 8 of them in total. They looked very sharp and elegant. They were slim with a blade that made me think of the body of a serpent. I knew from my book that it was a kris type blade. I also knew that the wiggle in the blade made it so that wounds would be more jagged and therefore be harder to heal or ignore in combat. They had a golden handle and a silver blade. There was intricate elven style leaf pattern in gold flowing from the golden handle over the blade down to the tip of the blade. They were absolutely beautiful.

I looked at Muriel and smiled at him. "They are so beautiful.” I managed to get out. As I took one to inspect it. “It would be almost a shame to go and throw them at things." I laughed making Muriel grin too.

"Do not worry. They have been spelled so they will not take a lot of damage and they will keep sharp so you will not have to sharpen them yourself." He assured me. “For now I think the best way is for you to store them in your void dimension. Loki will teach you to summon them instantly when in need so you do not have to manually reach into the dimension to collect them.”

I nodded and carefully closed the lid before placing the items in the dimension as he suggested.

When I had my hands free again I threw my arms around Muriel's neck and gave him a kiss.

"You should be careful." I said as I grinned at him. "If you continue to spoil me like this I might become an actual bratty stuck up princess."

It was Loki who was behind me who responded.

"Aurora you could not be a spoiled princess even if you wanted to. Trust me we have met some." He grinned and Muriel nodded fervently as he smiled at Loki’s words.

I turned to Loki who also had a gift in his hands. I removed the velvet wrap and in his hands, lay two amazingly beautiful elvish fighting knives. They were about 30cm each. Next to the knives lay black leather looking holsters. The pattern of the fighting knives were the same as the throwing knives. Gold with silver blades. The same intricate leaf pattern flowing down from the handle. But as I looked closer I saw little snakes scattered among the leaves. Peeking out every so often in the design. They would not have registered had one snake not been adorned with a green gem as a little eye. I could not help but laugh. Knowing full well that a snake was one of Loki's symbols.

"Loki, they are beautiful!” I exclaimed as I took one of the knives from him.

 I was amazed by the weight in my hand. The knife was so light it hardly gave my any trouble to lift it. Muriel walked over and took the leather holsters and kneeled before me.

"If you would allow me." He said as he looked at me and I nodded.

It seemed the holster was like a sort of garter belt. I was still wearing my leather riding outfit and Muriel lifted my black leather coat and top part of my skirt so he could reach under them. Over the top of my leather pants he placed the holster like a garter belt. Then he attached the sides of the holster with leather straps to my upper legs on each side. He showed me that by brushing the side of my hand against my coat both my coat and skirt would also move and I could uncover the holster and slide the knife in. I took the second one from Loki and slid it in place. As I released my coat and skirt they flowed back to cover the knives. Hiding them like they weren’t there in the first place. Loki smiled mischievously as he watched me move and crouch to see if I could feel or dislodge the knives. But it was like they were not there as I tried to see if a certain movement would give away their location. But as I brushed my hand against the coat and skirt they were revealed and I could access them with ease.

I looked up at them and laughed. "You'd never know they were there. Is it normal to carry weapons concealed like this and not in a void storage?"

This making Muriel and Loki laugh very loudly. Loki looked up with tears in his eyes.

"Aurora, I think almost every man and woman in Asgard has at least one concealed weapon on them at all times. I have at least 8 on my body without counting the void storage." he made a fast motion with his hands and two throwing knives appeared.

I looked shocked and then at Muriel who nodded. "I have four throwing knives and a larger blade." He grinned and he reached into the back of his boot showing me the blade."

"I think I never will feel safe again." I muttered making them both grin again.

After a moment of laughter Loki suggested to see what I had learned from the book. With the use of our bond he taught me the spell to summon the knives instantly from my void dimension. I practiced a few times and within a few moments with a flick of my hand I was able to summon a throwing knife in each hand."

Muriel shook his head as he watched me and Loki. "It never ceases to amaze me how fast she is able to master these spells." He said as he watched and I could see Loki smile and I could feel he was proud of me.

I could not help but ask as a question popped into my mind. "Is that not a side effect of me having a lot of seidr?"

I could see Loki think about my question but after a moment he seemed to shake his head.

"Usually the level of Seidr has nothing to do with how fast you learn but with how many spells you can use before you are depleted. Or the severity of spells you can use. As you know and illusion takes a lot less magic then physically changing form. So, one with a lot of Seidr can in the end do more complex things but it still takes time to master the spell."

It was Muriel who continued. "I think.” And he looked at Loki. "That her ability to master things so fast has to do with her memory." Loki looked at him thoughtfully.

"Because she is able to remember things so precisely she is able to take direction almost perfectly. She can almost perfectly copy what we teach. So, if she has a good teacher it will not take her long to learn anything I think. As long as her body can deal with the magical drain of her seidr."

Loki nodded. "I think you are right." He admitted. "Let us test the theory if it also is applies to physical things." He grinned and motioned me over towards the practice dummies.

As he stood next to me he showed me how to hold the knife. The movement of his wrist and explained how to pinpoint the distance between you and the target. The amount of distance had to be calculated so the force of the throw could be calculated making sure the sharp side of the knife would hit the target and not it's hilt. I nodded at his words and combined them with what I had read. It all made perfect sense but I was curious to see if I could make my hands do it. As I felt the weight of the knife if my hand I did as he said and to my surprise the blade had landed square in the chest of the practice dummy and I could feel how proud both Loki and Muriel were as they saw the result. The next 15 minutes they made me test from various distances and on various parts of the dummy. While I was surprised at the fact that I had hit the target each time although not as perfectly as my first throw. I found that I did have trouble with the longer throws. I would occasionally miss the target as it seemed that I just missed the speed to throw the knife over such a distance. After practicing more I could feel the muscles in my arm waver. Making it even harder to hit the targets that were near. But they assured me that this had nothing to do with the basics but with my muscles. And with more practice it would get easier and they assured me I could reach targets even further away.

After a short pause for me to get my muscles under control they switched my throwing knives with fake ones. These were the knives Loki had used in the demonstration. They had a sort of sticky point so they would stick to the target to demonstrate where the knife would have wounded them. This time I had to throw the knives at Loki. But he would not stand still like the practice dummies. He ran and ducked and tried to avoid getting hit. While it was fun to do, this was lot harder. Not only was Loki very quick so I had to try to calculate his actions. Because I needed to throw the knife where I thought he would be rather then where he was as I released the knives. It also meant that I had to do the calculations very fast in my head to get the throw right. But in the end, I seemed to get the hang of it as Loki walked over with four knives sticking on his armor and a grin on his face.

"I think that is all for tonight." He said to me and Muriel and I could not agree more. As my arms were very tired from this workout.

He turned to me and I could feel a warmth emanate from him. I could feel his happiness at what I had managed to do and that he was in fact very proud at what I had accomplished tonight. To be honest I loved this feeling. It made me all warm inside. Mostly because I knew it was heartfelt. I knew his emotions to be sincere and not a ploy or trick to boost my ego.

"I will leave you both now." Loki said with a smile. "Aurora I suggest you sleep in tomorrow and then I will see you at midday. Arturo will have Shadow ready and Yara will make sure to pack the things you need for the next few days. But with most of your items in void storage you and Shadow will travel fairly light."

 I nodded and gave Loki a hug and a kiss on his cheek. He looked at me to ask what the kiss was for and I could not help but smile.

"I just want to say thank you for being an incredible teacher and for the beautiful knives.” Loki smiled and with a small bow he left.

I turned to Muriel who had stood there watching us and I reached for his hand. "So I hoped I did well?" I asked. "The book was amazingly helpful I don't think I could have done those moves or calculations on the spot if I had not studied them earlier. Also, knowing the reason behind the movements or ways to throw made things so much easier to get them right."

Muriel smiled as he took my hand. "You did even better then I imagined Aurora."

I could not help but smile as I crawled into his arms and kissed him. I could feel he was happy and proud of me. But I missed the warmth from him that I had felt with Loki. But I quickly pushed that to the back of my mind. Loki was Asgardian and he was Elven. There were bound to be differences in emotions between races. Muriel pulled me closer against him to deepen the kiss. As we came up for air he rested his forehead against mine.

"I will miss this Aurora." He said with a sigh.

"I will miss it too. But it's only for short time and then you are free to have your way with me again." I teased.

I could see his pupils widen as my words sank in. "Aurora if you say anything like that again you will not get to see Alfheim. Because I will throw you over my shoulder and take you to my room and not let you out for two weeks."

I could feel his lust run through him and could not help but get turned on by it. I never thought I was the person who would respond like this when the other party acted all dominant but I must confess I did. The idea of him grabbing me and throwing me on a bed was a big turn on. But I had to stop myself. I wasn’t going down that road the night before we had to stop any physical contact. If we were to go there it would just make the separation in Alfheim more difficult. I kissed him gently in response but even when he tried to let his passion take over I kept it gentle. Until I could feel him get a grip on his feelings.

"I'm sorry Muriel." I whispered in his ear as he hugged me. "I promise I won’t tease you like that. The next couple weeks are going to be hard enough with us not being able to kiss or hug."

He gave me a sad smile as we started to make our way back to my room. When we reached it I asked him inside and he didn’t hesitate. Tomorrow would be a busy day for us both. My departure would be more public so we decided we would use this time to say goodbye to each other privately. The result was a hefty make out session on my sofa. But we both did our best not to go too far with things. It would be a while before I could kiss him again and we both made the most of it. It began to get quite late and reluctantly he bade me goodnight. Before I went to bed I had a nice long chat with Yara. We wouldn’t see each other for a while as she would remain in Asgard. So I felt it only right to catch up with her and have some quality time with her. She also showed me the sleeping gear and furs she would give to Arturo in the morning. They would be bundled up for Shadow to carry they also had the added bonus of making my saddle a bit more comfortable as they would act as a sort of back rest. The rest of my clothes and items I needed for the road we already packed into my void dimension. This would make it easier for me and Shadow to enjoy our trip. I did try to get her to show me a sneak peak at the new elven dresses that had been made for me. But she just laughed loudly and told me it was a secret by order Frigga and Muriel. I pouted like small child and was happy that this made her laugh even harder. Causing us both to irrupt in laughter. When I looked at the clock I saw that it was time for me to go to sleep. Yara wished me a good night and when I finally laid in my bed I felt like a little child before Christmas. Anxious for the next day but too wired up to sleep. Luckily the drain of the training session came crashing back and before long I was out like a light.

 


	23. Chapter 23

The next morning Yara woke me and told me she already had brought everything to Arturo and all was set for the trip. We spent the rest of our time eating a big brunch and chatting. Then I had to be off. She wished me a good trip and I told her to take some free time to enjoy herself while I was away. It took some convincing but in the end she agreed to go and spend some quality time with her family. When I was halfway down to the courtyard Muriel caught up with me and walked with me the rest of the way. As we neared the stables I could see our horses all packed and ready and Sif and the warriors three waiting.

We greeted each other and just chatted for a while. We just had to wait for Thor and Loki to join and then we would be on our way. It took longer than I expected for them to arrive and when they did show I could tell Loki wasn’t very happy. Of course, you couldn’t tell by looking at him but I could feel it. Frigga and Odin had accompanied them to wish all of us a good journey.

Frigga smiled and hugged me. “I hope you will keep an eye on this bunch and try to keep them out of trouble.” She said with a big grin. “Because when Thor or Loki gets a stupid idea the rest of them tend to follow it through without thinking. I hope you can be the voice of reason if something like that should happen.”

I giggled as I thought back and remembered several of the grand and to be honest stupid stories I had heard about their adventures. Yes, they all seemed very brave as they retold them. But if you thought about it most of the time they put themselves in the face of danger while it could have been avoided. 

“You have my word Frigga. I’ll try to keep them out of trouble.” I looked over to Thor and the rest and I could see they all were very excited for the trip. I could not help but grin as I turned back to Frigga. “But I kind of have this feeling that trouble has a way of finding us. Or should I say they have a knack for finding trouble. So, I don’t know how much good I will do.”

Frigga just smiled and put a stray lock of hair behind my ear. “Well as long as you all lookout for each other things will be ok. I have no doubt.”

She had said this out loud and I could hear Thor boom behind me.

“That we will surely do mother. Have no fear with our combine forces nothing will go wrong.” He said proudly.

This causing Loki to sigh and he mumbled loud enough for all to hear.

“No what could possibly go wrong when a loud oaf jinxes the whole trip by proclaiming that.”

This making everybody laugh including Thor. And then it was time to be on our way. They all mounted their horses with a graceful jump. I was still amazed to see them all including Volstag make such high jumps with ease. I could not help but be glad when Shadow bowed deeply for me so I could mount him. Sure Shadow was a lot taller than the other horses but still I would have made a fool of myself even If I had to climb into a saddle of a normal horse. No way would I be able to jump as high as they could. I think it was the first-time Sif or the warriors three had seen me interact with Shadow and I could feel their amazement when they noticed Shadow bowing down. I just smiled and patted Shadow.

As I sat on Shadow’s back Muriel walked over and I looked down at him and gave him a smile which he reciprocated.

“I wish you a safe journey Aurora. I will see you in a few days.” He said simply. I knew he wanted to kiss me and hold me but with Frigga and Odin there it would just complicate things.

“Thank you for seeing me off Muriel. I wish you a safe journey as well and I’ll see you in a few days.”

Muriel stepped back and I looked over to our group and I could see they were ready. I looked over to Frigga and Odin and I could see Frigga look at me and then at Muriel. I saw a small frown cross her face. I knew she was very good at spotting things and I had no doubt she suspected something. I just wished she had smiled and not frowned. Her opinion mattered to me but it could not be helped now. I plastered a smile on my face and waved as the horses started to move. When we cleared the palace gate I looked back once to see them all standing there. I could not help but be excited about the next couple of days. We rode slowly till we cleared the city and then we were off. The moment the city was behind us we spurred our horses into a gallop and we were on our way. Loki and I ended up riding side by side as Shadow and Lady seemed to prefer to stick together. After a few hours, the city and palace were a small speck in the distance and I had officially not been this far from the palace since I got there. The horses had slowed a bit in speed and we gently rode down a road. After awhile I could not help but ask Loki about the feeling I got from him earlier. But since I didn’t know why he had been out of sorts I thought it safer to use our link.

_“Loki, when you joined us earlier I could feel you were not very pleased about something. Did something happen with your meeting with Odin?”_

Loki gave a small snort. _“Father informed us that there have been some problems in Alfheim. There has been a string of thefts of magical artifacts. People claim there is a powerful Seidr user behind these thefts and it has been quite the source of gossip in Alfheim. I told him I would be more than willing to lend a hand and see if I could use my powers to help them find the thief. But I was dismissed. He told me that with my reputation people would only assume I had something to do with the whole incident rather than trust me to find real thief. He actually seemed to think the whole situation to be funny.”_

I could not help but feel angry as he told me this. I knew Loki resented the way people thought of him. The way Odin would use him as sort of an anti-hero. Where Thor could shine and play the hero Loki would always be mistrusted and doubted. As I thought about it more it was mostly because every time there was a chance to do good the quest was given to Thor. Even if Loki would have been better suited. But all the darker and sneakier dealings were given to Loki to handle. Fueling the gossip and darker reputation his younger son had. I almost wanted to ride back to the palace and give Odin a piece of my mind. Why could Odin not see that Loki hated the reputation he had. But he lived with it just so he could make his father proud. Why did he need Loki’s reputation to be this dark? Surely he could see the isolation it caused for his younger son? How in the world would someone withstand such a view? In the end if people tell you long enough you are evil or trouble what was there to stop you from becoming just that? I was pulled out of my train of thought when I heard Loki starting to laugh.

_“Aurora I can feel your indignation towards Odin. I thank you for that but there is nothing you can do about it. I have accepted it long ago. I know you. Please do not go and anger Odin on my behalf.”_

I shook my head. _“Don’t you see someone should?”_ I argued. _“It’s not fair. You don’t deserve the mistrust or reputation you have. You are every bit as good and if not better than Thor. Why should you not be just as loved by the people as he is?”_

There was a sad look on his face. _“The thing is he already has one golden son.”_ And I saw him look at Thor. _“I learned a long time ago that Odin has more use for me when I am feared rather than loved. This way he has two very different weapons he can use. One son to fight injustice in the daylight with a hero’s reputation. He needs to be celebrated and loved by the people. The other son to fight injustice in the darkness. To sneak and spy and be feared but in the end do as much for the kingdom as the hero does. Just in a different way.”_

I looked at him and I could feel there was a sense of purpose behind his words. He truly believed that his father was doing this for the safety of the kingdom. It seemed to give him strength and while I wanted to discuss it further I didn’t. I didn’t want to shake his strength as I realized it was all he had to cope with the whole situation. He didn’t like it but he believed it was necessary and for the good of the kingdom. I just hoped that this was indeed Odin’s reason for how he let people think of his two sons. I didn’t know Odin very well but I felt it would destroy Loki if this whole divide had nothing to do with ruling a kingdom. But it was just that Odin favored one son more than the other. He really looked up to his father and all of this he just accepted so Odin would be proud of him.

I looked at him and smiled. _“Just know that you don’t have to be anything but yourself with me Loki.”_

He looked at me with a raised brow.

_“You’re my friend and I don’t want you to pretend or feel like you have to be anything you are not. I know you are also my guardian but if I ever had to choose between your role as my guardian or just you as my friend I would choose our friendship.”_

Loki smiled and I could feel a warm wave of gratitude wash over me.

_“Thank you Aurora. That means a lot and I am very glad to have you and our friendship in my life. But I do not think I would ever have to choose between being your friend or your guardian. For they are the same even without our bond I would never let anything harm you.”_

I could not help but smile at his words and I knew he could feel my gratitude as he said them. It was getting late. There would only be a few hours of light when I could see a forest up ahead. As we got closer to it Thor came riding back towards me and Loki.

“Aurora, we will be going on a hunt in the forest to procure us some dinner. A few of us will stay behind to set up camp. Sif was wondering if you wanted to join us on the hunt. Seeing as you never have been hunting she thought it might be fun.” He said with a big grin on his face.

It was Loki who let out a big sigh before I could reply and Thor looked at his brother.

“Loki what is wrong?” he asked as he looked at him. I could feel a snarky reply starting to build inside Loki so I decided to intervene.

“I’m sorry Thor but I think it’s better if I stay behind and help setup camp. I don’t think it’s wise for me to go on a hunt.”

I could see that he clearly didn’t get why it wouldn’t be wise for me to go on the hunt. So I decided to ride a bit closer to him.

“Thor.” I whispered. “My ability is not limited to people. I can also feel animals. I don’t think I would quite enjoy a hunt that much.”

I could see realization dawn behind his eyes.

“Ahh, I understand and I am sorry I did not think about this.” He said in a softer voice.

I could see Loki roll his eyes and I could almost picture a snarky reply about how Thor never seemed to think about things. But luckily he didn’t say it out loud.

“It’s not a problem.” I said as I gave Thor a smile. “Thank you for giving me the choice.”

“I will stay with Aurora.” Loki said calmly. “You and the rest go and hunt. We will make camp. Just make sure that the animal is dead before you bring it back.”

Thor nodded and rode back to Sif.

“I hope you don’t mind staying with me? I don’t want to hold you back if you want to go and hunt with them.” I asked as I looked at Loki to see his reaction.

He just smiled. “I really do not mind. I find hunting boring and tedious. While I like the sport of tracking and finding the animal it is just too simple for a group of trained warriors like ourselves to kill it. So, I do not mind sitting out this hunt. We used to hunt for sport very often but I grew tired of it. Not only was it wasteful of our time I found it wasteful of the lives of the animals. We live in a palace so it is not like we needed the food. So it took the fun out of hunting. Sure, the next few days I understand it is our main source of food and I am fine with that. But hunting as a sport I cannot enjoy anymore like Thor and the rest do. Back then it was mother who suggested that we would donate our kills to the less fortunate when we would go hunting. For a while this gave the hunt meaning again and I continued to hunt with Thor for years.”

I could feel there was something more he left unsaid. “But?” I asked.

He sighed. “As usual whenever we rode to a small village to give them the animals we killed it was Thor who got the credit for being generous. Even when I would hunt alone and give them the animals it was Odin they praised for the meat. Because it must have been on his order that his younger son would do anything like that. I know it sounds selfish but in the end I just stopped hunting. For it just seemed hollow.”

Again, I felt for him but I could feel he wanted to change the subject and not dwell on it any further. At the same time we rode into a little clearing in the forest. The group decided we would use the clearing to make camp. As we all unloaded our horses Loki explained the details about making camp. It was decided that Thor and the warriors three were going to hunt for food and Sif would stay behind with me and Loki. Sif and I would arrange the sleeping gear while Loki took care of the horses. When Loki was done with the horses he went out to get some wood for our fire. When Loki was out of earshot I turned to Sif and I could not help but pry a little.

“So how’s things going between you and Thor.” I asked as I saw her place their sleeping bags next to each other.

Sif face lit up and a big smile appeared on her face. “I'll just say that our little plan has worked. I do not think he is thinking of me as one of the guys anymore.”

I couldn’t help but smile back at her. She looked happy and I could feel she was happy.

“And how are things with you and Muriel?” she asked.

I smiled. “Well let’s just say we’re pretty physical at the moment but something in me tells me to wait a bit before I take him to my bed.”

Sif nodded in understanding. “You should take the time you need. If he does pressures you just let me know. It has been a while since I had some combat training against a fast warrior and I am sure I can use the exercise.”

I laughed. “That might be something I would like to see. I've never seen Muriel fight but I have heard he’s a very good warrior.”

Sif nodded. “Maybe I will ask him when we are in Alfheim. But just so you know I will do my best to beat him. I will not take it easy on him just so he can showoff to you.”

“I would not have it any other way.” I replied with a smile.

By then I saw Loki returning with a big pile of wood in his arms and he started building the logs into a pile in the center of our camp. I noticed he used some magic and I could not help but inquire about the spells he used. He had placed one spell to make sure that the fire would be contained within a small circle. Making it so that sparks would not accidentally light our bedding on fire while we were sleeping. The second spell he had used would make sure that the wood would burn but not be consumed by the fire. This would prevent the fire from going and we wouldn’t have to place new logs on the fire. I could not help but grin as it seemed that Loki had a way of making this whole trip a lot safer and easier for all.

“Aurora do you want to do the honor?” He suddenly asked as he pointed to the pile of logs.

I just smiled and nodded. I could see Sif watching me in fascination as I focused on clearing my mind so I could tap into my magic I decided to make it a bit of a show because she clearly wanted to see me perform magic. I focused on creating a flame in my hand and when It appeared I used an illusion to form it in the shape of a bird. I saw a smile form on her lips. I directed the bird to take flight and after circling a few times it dove down and set the whole pile on fire. I could see Loki also smile as he was clearly pleased with my combination of the two spells.

As Sif made herself comfortable it was Loki who suggested we use the last bit of sunlight to train a bit. I could see Sif look surprised clearly unsure what we would be practicing. But I didn’t mind her knowing about me trying to learn fighting skills. I followed Loki further into the clearing and waited for his instructions. 

“Ok Aurora.” He said with a smile as he summoned his weapons. “I thought we could see what you learned about the basics of fighting with the fighting knives. I will attack you slowly and you try to block my attacks. I will spell our knives so we do not have to worry about you cutting me or yourself.”

I nodded and reached for the knives under my coat. As I pulled them out Loki spelled them but it only took a moment. Then I took the basic defensive stance I learned from Muriel’s book. The knives turned inwards protecting my wrists instead of them sticking out. I could see Loki's approval of my stance. He raised his knives and attacked me slowly so I could see him coming. I blocked the attack with one arm and then ducked under his arm to get out of the way of his second knife.

He chuckled and turned so he was facing me again. This time he made a low movement aiming for my legs and I jumped back so I was out of reach. The second I was out of reach Loki closed the distance. He attacked high making me block his arm with my left arm I spun around before he could trap me with his other knife. I could hear Sif cheer from the camp and I smiled but had to focus on Loki. We moved like that for 10 minutes and I managed to block most of his attacks and avoid any further assaults. But I knew the only reason for this was because he was going very so slow so I could see his moves coming.

“I see you have the basics under control.”  He said with a smile. “Now I am going to do the same attacks but I am going to add more speed.”

I nodded and again took my defensive stance. His moves were indeed almost exactly like before but the added speed and force behind his attacks made it far more difficult to block. The first attack I could still block. But with the added speed blocking his second arm was quite hard because his reaction time was far better than mine. But still I managed to block almost half of his attacks. When we were done with the basic attacks I could hear Sif cheer again. As I looked up I could see her walk over towards me and Loki.

“You did great.”  She said with a big smile. “Sure you need to work on your strength and stamina but still. How long have you been training with the knives?”

I grinned at her as Loki turned to give her the answer.

“This is the first time she has practiced this after she read a book about knife fighting.” He said with a very proud tone in his voice.

I could see Sif look at me like I was a ghost. “You read this in a book?” she asked.

I nodded but I hoped she wouldn’t ask about the book as I didn’t want to betray Muriel’s trust. But luckily that did not seem to be her interest.

“What else did you learn in this book of yours? Was it just about defensive stances while wielding a knife?” She asked and I could see a little glint in her eyes.

I could not help but smile. “No there were various chapters about defense against different weapons. Swords being amongst them.”

Sif looked to Loki and he just nodded motioning towards me and I knew what Sif wanted. So, I just smiled and nodded. Loki moved his hand over Sif’s sword to add the same spell to dull it. Sif protested saying she had enough experience not to hurt me. But he just added that I was too new at this and he did not want to take any risks and she agreed. As we took our places Thor and the warriors three rode back into the clearing but I ignored them as Sif was eyeing me like a tiger looking at prey. I moved into the defensive stance I had used previously but now I held the knives the normal way. With the blade pointing out so I could block her sword if I had to and I could see Loki smile.

Sif closed in but I kept a distance between us. Forcing us to circle so she could not directly charge me. A few times she tried to trick me in a fake attack but I quickly side stepped and forced her the other way. After a few moments I could feel her emotions change. She was done with testing the waters and I knew I had to keep my eyes open.

Suddenly she swung her sword low towards my legs and I jumped over it and quickly moved behind her to get her off balance. But she had anticipated that and as she turned around quickly and her sword was flying towards my head. I ducked and rolled under the sword and gave a slash against her leg. If the knifes had been sharp she would have had a nasty gash on her leg. I quickly got up and retook my stance as I saw her coming at me. Her sword over her head coming down at me. I crossed my knives and I took the brunt of the impact of the sword. She was much stronger and I knew she was holding back a lot. I managed to keep my balance and turned from under her sword. Releasing her blade from mine in the last second as I spun around her gently stabbing her back as I turned behind her.

I knew she was holding back in speed and strength and I knew those stabs I had managed to give her were because of this. In an actual fight with her full force she would have my head in a few seconds. But I was happy I could land a few blows. She grinned as we once again faced each other and this time she moved faster. Making it almost impossible for me to regain myself between her blows. I was now back to defending as I had no time to launch an assault in between. But still I managed to block most blows even when she was going near full speed although she was still holding back in strength. The fact that I only had to focus on her sword made things a bit easier. For with Loki I had to focus on his attack arm and instantly think about what the second arm could do. I was nearly panting now finding it hard to catch my breath at the speed she was going and I could feel I was getting very tired. She did a quick set of slashes with her sword and with one slash she managed to smack one knife from my hand. A few seconds later I was knocked back on the ground. I just laid there breathing hard as I felt her sword on my neck as she stood over me with a big smile.

I laughed at the twinkle of joy in her eyes and I waved my hand to summon my knives back to my hand. I placed them back into the holster on my legs and Sif gave me a hand to pull me up. It was not fair she was not even breaking a sweat and I felt so exhausted that I could sleep for a week.

“I am actually quite impressed.” She said as I got up. “I think with some hard training we can make a good warrior out of you.”

Coming from Sif I knew this was as high a compliment as I could get.

“Thank you.” I smiled. “From you that means a lot.”

She returned the smile and we gave each other a hug. There was a cough from behind us and as we turned I could see 5 men staring at us. From the look on Fandral’s face it was as if we had just acted out some inner porn fantasy he had. Loki looked proud but Thor, Volstagg and Hogun looked amazed. Loki walked over towards us and without a word he removed the enchantments from our weapons making them sharp again. Sif and I walked back towards the fire and motioned for the rest to follow. It was Thor who said something first.

“Aurora how long have you been training to fight?” he asked and I could see the rest of the warriors three look interested for my answer.

“This was my first practice session with my knives today. Muriel and Loki gave me a lessen earlier with throwing knives. But I have studied books on the art of fighting with knives. It gave me the basic instructions about stances, blocking and attacking.

I could see the surprised looks on all their faces. But Thor began to laugh as he shook his head.

“Brother I am surprised you do not want to marry Aurora. The way she uses books to learn things. I must say you two were meant for each other.” He said with a loud laugh.

The warriors three and Sif instantly began to laugh at his joke but I couldn’t help but watch Loki. I could see his eyes widen at his brother’s joke as he looked at me. I could feel his general emotions of surprise at his brother’s words but there was a mix underneath it that I could not decipher. I secretly wanted to touch him or use our bond to decipher his emotions but a little voice in my head told me to ignore the strange feeling and I looked away into the fire.

After a few moments, it was Hogun who started talking again. “You know I hope you do not mind but I could not help but notice your knives. They looked beautiful may I see them?”

I could not blame Hogun for wanting to see them as they were beautiful and to be honest I was very proud of them. I removed the blades from my holster and gave them to Hogun and he looked at them with great care. Feeling their balance and sharpness and I could see he was impressed. When he was done inspecting them he passed the knives over to the others who also wanted to see them.

“I also have a set of throwing knives that compliment them.” I could not help but say proudly. I could see Hogun raise his brow as with a flick of my wrist I conjured one into my hand to give to him. “It’s part of a set of 8.” I said to him as he also studied this knife.

“These are amazing weapons Aurora. They are not only beautiful they are clearly also made to the highest standards. How did you get them?” Hogun asked.

I kind of blushed at his question. “They were a gift from both Loki and Muriel.”

I could see Hogun nod when I said that. “That makes sense as I can see the basics are of elven origin.”

It was Fandral who added. “And I can see that Loki gave you the fighting knives.” And he gave Loki a teasing look. But I could see Loki ignore him.

“Why do you say that?” Sif asked as she took one of the larger knives. Fandral pointed out the snakes that were hidden amongst like vines and I could see Sif smile.

“It seems like you could not help but mark her as yours.” Sif laughed and I could feel Loki get uncomfortable.

“Well he is my best friend.” I said. “And I like that it reminds me who I got them from as a symbol of our friendship.” And I could see Volstagg nod his head at my words.

“Aurora is right. They are a mighty symbol of friendship. For a true friend, will not only protect his friends but learn them to protect themselves in return.”

I smiled at Volstagg. “You could not have put that better. I just wished we had some ale to toast your words.”

This immediately made Volstagg grab a bag and he took out cups and a big flagon of ale. He filled a cup for each of us and we held them high.

“To friendship.” I said. “May it be everlasting and true.”

With a cheer, we all clanked our cups and drank. I could feel Loki’s discomfort leave as the focus came back to the group and not on our friendship. I collected my knives and placed them back where they belonged. Volstagg was busy getting out some cooking equipment and Thor stood to get the meat. Before long we sat eating warm and tasty meat while the ale flowed freely. I moved closer to Loki so I could whisper to him.

“Loki do you think they also have any water packed? I don’t think it’s wise for me to go on an alcohol diet all these days. I might not make it to Alfheim.” I joked. But I knew I had to switch. After two glasses I could already feel my head starting to spin a bit from the alcohol.

Loki smiled and shook his head. “No they only have alcoholic drinks with them Aurora. But no worries.” And with a flick of his hands there was a small flagon next to me and I knew it would be filled with water.

I smiled at Loki and poured myself a cup of cold water that I drank slowly. I looked over to see the horses standing next to each other in the clearing grazing. They could freely walk and were not tied to anything. Loki who had followed my gaze.

“They will not leave us. They have been trained to stay near and I conjured them some water so that they do not have to go find a stream to drink.”

I saw Lady and Shadow stand together. Wherever Shadow moved, Lady followed and I could not help but smile. It was getting late and I could feel the chill come over the clearing. I changed my clothes with a flick of my hand. Yara and I had agreed that instead of a night gown I would be more comfortable in some men’s sleeping clothes. So, I had a loose pair of pants and a wide tunic. I made myself comfortable in my bed of fur’s and blankets. It was very soft and comfortable and near to the fire. Of course the spells on the bedding and clothing meant I was very comfortable temperature wise.

Next to me I could see the rest getting ready for sleep too. There were a few groupings of people. Thor and Sif had moved a bit over to the side. Sleeping closely next to each other. Fandral and Hogun also slept near each other and Volstagg was the most far away as it seemed he tended to snore. That left me and Loki and we also slept next to each other but not as close as Sif and Thor. But if I wanted I could still touch him if I reached over. I was warm in my furs combined with the warmth from the fire. I moved the furs back a bit from my chest to not get too warm as I rolled on my side facing Loki.

I could see him already lying on his side facing me with a smile on his face and I felt a small tingle on the back of my neck.

_“You really amazed all of us today Aurora. I never would have thought you could pick up and use that much information from Muriel’s book. Sure, I know it is in there but the way your mind seems to be able to transform the data into movements is very special.”_

I smiled. _“Thanks Loki. But we both know I have a very long way to go before I have the speed or stamina to rival any of you. And to be honest I don’t think I’ll ever be as good being only half Æsir. But while I don’t mind learning self-defense I don’t think I have the stomach to wage battles.”_

 I could feel Loki sympathize. _“If it is up to me Aurora I would hope you never have to wage a battle. I can only imagine how it must be if you could feel every bit of damage you do to your opponent’s body. But I agree that at least learning to defend yourself is helpful. It will at least buy you some time and give me a chance to come to your aid and help you.”_

I smiled at the warm feeling I had from his words. I knew that if he was near Loki would always come to my aid when I needed it. I could also see Loki smile as he probably could feel my warmth and the safe feeling his words had invoked in me.

I yawned a little and I could see Loki grin. _“Go to sleep Aurora. I will make sure nothing will disturb your dreams tonight.”_

“ _Thank you Loki and goodnight to you too.”_

I woke a couple of times in the night. There were a lot of sounds coming from the forest and the horses in the clearing. I had never slept outside before and the noises just kept waking me. When I woke for the fourth time I let out a small sigh as I looked at the rest of the group. They did not seem to have any trouble sleeping as I could see Thor and Sif cuddle together and hear Volstagg snore a bit in the background. As my eye fell on Loki I was surprised he was awake and looking back at me. I could feel the familiar tingle in my neck.

 _“Trouble sleeping?”_ he asked and I nodded.

 _“Yes I keep waking up from the sounds around me.”_ I replied as I let out a small yawn.

Loki sat up a bit and grabbed the furs I was lying on pulling me close to him. I raised an eyebrow to him but did not say a thing as not to wake up the others. When I was right next to him he laid back down and I could feel him move closer. His arms reached under my blankets and he pulled me against him and into his arms. The familiar safe feeling washed over me and I just knew I could sleep like this. But I could not help but worry a bit about what the others would think.

 _“Loki, I don’t think we should sleep like this.”_ I said through our bond.

He sighed. _“Aurora it will be no good if you cannot ride tomorrow because you are too tired.”_

_“Yes I know but I don’t want to raise questions about us if they find me sleeping in your arms. Sure, Muriel knows about our bond. But the rest don’t and I don’t want to see their faces in the morning judging me or you for that matter.”_

I could feel Loki was slightly annoyed at my words. _“We’re friends Aurora there is nothing wrong with this.”_

I let out a sigh of my own. _“I know but you know they like to give you a hard time about things. Just remember the jokes about the snakes on my knife. I’m not ashamed of you or our closeness but you know it’s different with a friendship between a man and a woman. Just think how Fandral will react when he sees me in your arms.”_

I could feel Loki stiffen at my words and I knew he was imagining what Fandral would say or do. He lifted his arm above the blanket and waved a bit. There was a tingle of magic in the air and then he placed his arm around me once more.

_“I see your point. The rest might tease us but leave us be in the end. But Fandral will make more out of this and possibly embarrass us in Alfheim with it. I have made an illusion to cover us. If anyone wakes it will look like you are in your original place sleeping. As long as they do not try to touch you we should be fine.”_

_“Thank you for understanding.”_ I told him and leaned into his chest placing my head in the crook of his neck while I fell asleep.

 


	24. Chapter 24

It was sunny when I opened my eyes. I saw that Thor and Sif’s furs were empty and the rest of the group were still sleeping. Behind me Loki stirred and stretched against me pulling me closer. I seemed to have turned in my sleep so we were spooning with me being the little spoon. I was very comfortable in his hold and I let him pull me close.

“Good morning.” He whispered into my ear. “Did you sleep well?”

I turned onto my back so I could look at him. “Yes, thanks. I slept perfectly.”

There was a small sound in the distance and I could see Sif and Thor walking into the clearing carrying a few things. As Loki looked at them I could hear him sigh.

“We better put you back in your original position. For it seems they are carrying things for breakfast so the rest will wake soon.”

I nodded and we both moved my furs back and then I ducked under them again as the morning air was quite cold in my pajamas. I could feel a tingle and knew Loki had removed the illusion. I could see him leave his furs fully clothed and refreshed and went over to sit near the fire. 

Beneath the blankets I did my morning rituals magically and changed my clothes into my full leather gear. Frigga had a dozen of them made so I could change into a clean one whenever I wanted. I had placed them all in my void dimension. I could feel the magical wards warming me the instant the clothes were against my body and I pealed back the furs. I greeted Thor and Sif and I saw they had been out in the forest getting fresh fruit for breakfast. There was still some meat from yesterday and Loki started to cook it while I helped Sif clean the fruit.

Within moments the rest of the group was awake and cheerfully talking. We shared the meat and fruit and there was even some left for lunch later this afternoon. It was very relaxing sitting here and just chatting without the whole court around us.

I listened as Loki explained that we would do most of the riding today. We would clear the border to Alfheim just after midday. We would then travel the woods till we found another place to camp for the night. The third day we would ride on and near the evening we hoped to clear the forest. From there it would be a few hours ride to the royal castle. We agreed to take our time and that we would camp outside of the forest and the next day make our way towards the castle.

The rest of the day just flew by. We managed to cover a lot of ground. We had a short lunch and just continued riding. It was a very merry trip as we were constantly talking and joking with one another. We continued to switch up our riding pairs so we could talk with everyone in the group. Joking and teasing each other as we went. When the darkness fell, we had found a nice spot to make camp again. Loki made another illusion and I slept in his arms like a baby. It was a simple way of life compared to life in the palace. Just a small group depending on each other for fun and everyone had their little tasks to perform every time we made camp. I could not help but love every moment of our trip. The more time I spent with them the more I felt a bond between us all I had not felt before. They had done this quite often I could tell but they made every effort to include me in their tales and chats and it felt like being on the road with old friends. Even Loki seemed to clearly enjoy the lack of pressure and the simple joy of traveling with friends. I could already see why they had suggested this road trip in the first place.  I think it was a way for all of them to escape the life in the palace. I sometimes seemed to forget that all of them had obligations they needed to perform while living in the palace. I could not help. but wonder if noble women shared their share of obligations. Sif was a warrior and that gave her a lot of the same obligations the men had. But if she had been a noble lady would it still be expected of her to serve in another way. Or would they just expect her to look pretty and settle with a good husband. I figured I would ask Loki about this some other time right now I just continued to have a pleasant day. At the end of the day we made camp. They did try to get me to train with them after dinner but I was very tired so I decided to rest in my furs and watch them spar.

The third day arrived and it was just as pleasant as the day before. We were not deep into the Alfheim forest and the elven forest was breathtakingly beautiful. It was strange to see that there was such a difference between the Asgardian side of the forest and that of the Alfheim one. The trees looked very exotic all twisted and bended in all sort of shapes. The leaves of the trees had begun turning from green to all sorts of orange and brown colors. There were beautiful flowers still blooming in beautiful autumn colors. It was like someone had taken a paint brush and slowly decided to repaint all the green with brown, oranges and red. I didn’t mind as I thought that I clearly loved the autumn colors. There were a lot of animals in the elven forest. I saw giant elks and deers in-between the trees but also lovely squirrel like creatures and other animals I never had seen before in my life. I was constantly badgering Loki to tell me more about each beautiful plant or animal I discovered. Luckily he didn’t seem to mind and told me everything he knew.

It was getting late and darker but we had made very good time the last few days. We decided to ride on ahead in the twilight as we could not find a clearing to camp. We would clear the forest and then make camp and eat something. Loki thought we would be able to clear the forest in two hours or so and I knew that Shadow would take care of me while riding. He was very good at navigating the forest so I trusted him fully. The only thing I had to do was sit back and occasionally keep my eyes open for a low hanging branch. I was relaxing and enjoying myself when I suddenly got a strange feeling creeping inside me. The whole day the forest had felt light and airy. But now there was a sudden menacing feeling that sent a chill up my spine. I motioned Shadow to slow a bit so I could fall back and ride next to Loki.

I used the link to talk to him. _“Loki, I don’t know why but this part of the forest feels different.”_

 Loki looked at me and I tried to let him feel what I meant through our bond. I could see a frown form between his eyes.

 _“Do you know what it is that is causing you to feel this way?”_ he asked and I shook my head.

_“No, the whole time in the forest it felt nice and amazing. But I keep getting these chills now and it’s not because the temperature is dropping.”_

I could feel Loki understood as he had warded most of my clothes and it would not be possible for the wards to just stop working. Suddenly I also realized the animals I had been seeing all day were nowhere to be seen. I could hear no sounds of birds singing or the little shuffle that the squirrel like creatures made when they bounced from tree to tree. I could see Loki had just realized the same thing. I could feel Shadow suddenly become restless and it seemed to spread along to the rest of the horses. Loki spurred Lady on and rode towards Thor who was leading our group. After a moment they stopped so the rest of us could catch up. It was Hogun who began talking first.

“I do not like this.” He said. “There is something not right in this part of the woods.” And the rest nodded in agreement.

I could feel the whole group tense and get restless as they agreed with him.

Thor Looked at Loki. “Brother how long till we clear the forest?”

Loki looked at the sun now low between the trees and I knew it would be dark soon. I could feel a tingle of his magic as he tried to calculate where we were in this forest.

“At this pace and if we follow the road it will be just over an hour and a half till we clear the forest. If we speed up the horses and remain on the road we could be clear of the forest in just an hour. If we leave the road and ride south-west, we can be out in 30 minutes. It will not be the fastest way to the castle but it will help us clear the forest the quickest. But it will be totally dark in 20 minutes or so. It will be hard to steer clear of low hanging branches and such.” He said as he looked at the rest of the group.

They all seemed to take in his words and look at each other. It was Fandral who spoke first. “I am in favor of leaving the forest as quickly as possible. I think we can cover a lot of ground in 20 minutes even in rough terrain. Loki and Aurora is there a way you can light our path?” he asked.

I was surprised to hear Fandral ask about magic but he had a point. Why ride in total darkness when you had two seidr users amidst your group. I smiled and moved my hand like Loki had taught me and summoned a glowing ball of light that hovered above me. After a moment I dismissed it again.

Loki grinned and nodded. “Good idea.” He said to Fandral. But the way he said it was like he was surprised Fandral could think of such a thing. But luckily Fandral did not mind the joke and it got all of us laughing for a bit.

Thor looked at the rest. “Do you all agree? We will take the south-west route through rough terrain Loki and Aurora will light our way with orbs to make it easier for our horses to see where they walk.”

We all nodded. I wanted to leave this place as soon as possible.

“Then I will take the lead. Can you summon the light orbs?” he asked looking over to me and Loki.

I nodded but Loki placed his hand on my arm and I felt a small tingle.

 _“Aurora you keep your focus on riding and what you sense in the woods. I will summon the orbs and keep them around us. But I think it better for you to keep in touch with how the woods make you feel.”_ He said into my mind.  
  
I nodded signaling I understood. With a swipe of his hand he summoned glowing orbs near each of the horses to light their way.

It was now Loki who took charge of the conversation. “Thor you lead and I think it best if I and then Aurora follow behind you. So that Sif and the warriors three can take the rear.”

They all nodded and with a brief discussion between Thor and Loki about the direction he took off and Shadow followed immediately keeping close to Loki on Lady.

There was a tingle at the back of my neck and I felt Loki’s worry. _“Aurora, if you do not mind I want to keep our connection open so I can feel what you sense through you. Can you do this?”_ He asked.

 _“I will do my best.”_ I replied as I did my best to squash the fear I felt as I suddenly felt the gravity of this whole situation.

I did my best to keep my bond with Loki open as we rode through the woods. With the sun almost nearly gone we relied on the light of the orbs more and more. But the darker it got the more I had to do my best to not hinder Shadow. He was amazingly navigating the brushes and woods as he was following Thor and Loki. But it seemed the woods were getting thicker and I had to concentrate hard to duck and move on his back in order to not get hit by low hanging branches. The leather of my coat was getting a beating as I felt hundreds of twigs scratch it. The further we rode into the darkness the creepier the woods felt. All of us deep in concentration when I suddenly felt another chill wash over me. Immediately I heard Loki yell to Thor to change his direction. But no matter where Thor went to in a few minutes the creepy chills came back. It was very dark now, the only light coming from the orbs Loki had made. While they gave a good deal of light trees and branches were hard to see and suddenly there was this thick and sticky substance over my face. I dropped down towards Shadows neck because I couldn’t see with whatever was covering my face. I could feel Loki’s worry through our bond as he noticed my panic.

“Aurora what is wrong?” He shouted but I did not want to open my mouth as the sticky stuff was everywhere.

 _“Loki, I don’t know but there is something covering my face. I’m trying to get it off but it’s very sticky.”_ I said to him using our bond.

Loki yelled to Thor to slow down and stop for a moment. I could feel Shadow slow down and stop. I felt Loki’s hands on me pulling me upright to face him. He muttered something like a curse and then there was a flash of magic and my face was free again. I could see the worried looks on Sif and the rest around me as they took in the surrounding forest. The forest was eerily dark and there were white creepy webs covering most of the trees and branches. This must have been what had gotten on my face.

Sif rode over towards us. “Loki, what the hell is this.” She yelled.

Loki seemed to study the sticky stuff and he turned towards her. “I think they are spider webs.” He said and I could feel my heart sink.

I didn’t like spiders that much when they were small. But seeing the size of these webs I got frightened. I nearly jumped when Hogun started talking.

“But how is this possible? The only spiders large enough to make webs like these are the giant spiders of Svartalfheim. They have been eradicated from Alfheim for years.” He said clearly not at ease as he kept scanning the forest around us.

Loki shrugged. “I do not know. But it’s the best answer with the evidence before us. But I think it’s best for us to stop talking and start riding again. We should be able to clear the forest anytime now just try to stay clear of the webs as much as possible.”

Thor nodded and spurred his horse back in the right direction.

“Thor!” Loki yelled. “Ride carefully and do not touch the webs. They are all connected and will alert them to our location.”

I could hear Thor’s grunt but he immediately slowed his pace and we rode much slower now. Making sure not to touch the webs if possible. The cold chills were now rolling over my body constantly. And I had to do my best not to let the fear I felt overtake me. We had to ride in a tight formation. The webs and trees making the riding very difficult. We had to ride behind each other as it was impossible for more than one horse at a time to make its ways through the trees and webs. I did my best to look out for branches while at the same time concentrate on Loki who was riding in front of me.

Loki’s voice filled the dark. “Everyone keep your eyes open for movement I do not like this one bit.” He yelled.

There was a sudden rustling of leaves behind me and when I looked behind me my heart nearly jumped out of my chest. In a flash, I saw a giant shadow leaping down towards Hogun who was riding behind me. Before I could utter a word the shadow had knocked him out of his saddle.

“Hogun!” I yelled and Shadow immediately turned around.

Hogun was struggling under a huge spider and I could feel my stomach turn. I panicked when I saw Hogun’s horse was blocking the tight space so there was no way for Volstagg to get to Hogun. Instantly Shadow charged the huge beast and gave it a firm kick with his front legs. I was too high on Shadows back to use my knives but suddenly Loki was in the back of my mind.

 _“Aurora use fire.”_ He yelled.

Immediately I summoned a large fireball and threw it at the spider making it shriek in pain. It moved up a bit and I saw it's creepy eyes focus on me and Shadow. This giving Hogan in turn some room to draw a long knife and plant it in middle of the spider’s chest. I did my best to block out the animal’s pain as it was nearly overwhelming but I could not help but gag a bit. Luckily Hogun’s strike had been well placed as the animal died nearly instantly. But I could feel my hands shake and I had to do my best to keep my place on Shadow’s back. As Hogun threw off the dead spider Thor and the rest had made their way into the very tight space. I saw Hogun rise and nearly fall back to the ground. Instantly I jumped off Shadow’s back as I saw a large gash on the side of Hogun’s head and he clearly was very unstable on his legs. Before he could fall I helped him sit back on the ground.

“Here let me.” I said as I inspected his wound in the dim light of the globes. It looked like he had hit his head when the spider had forced him off his horse. It looked worse than it was but still I could feel Hogun’s pain. I had to swallow and blink through the pain he was feeling but I placed my hand on his head and in moments my healing spell was working and the gash was closing. I could feel him feeling a lot better now and he grabbed my arm and I pulled him up.

“Thank you Aurora.” He said a bit out of breath.

Hogun always was a man of few words but I could feel the depth of his words.

“No problem.” I said and I gave him a smile. “Just good to know I’m not totally useless.”

This made him laugh as we quickly made our way back to our horses. The whole thing had only been a few minutes but we knew we had to get going again. I could feel the relief of the others when they saw Hogun was alright. Suddenly there was another rustling sound around us. Within seconds I could see the light of Loki’s orbs being reflected in sparkly arachnid eyes all around us. I had to do my best not to get overwhelmed with fear. Suddenly the forest was illuminated as Loki weaved a large fireball in his hand and I could see the spiders move back a bit in fear. I used this moment to quickly jump on Shadow’s back who already had lowered himself for me and I could see Sif stick her hand out to Hogun who jumped behind her in a fluid motion. For his own horse was too skittish after what happened. As soon as it was clear that we were all ready Loki threw the fireball towards the spiders behind us and we all almost instantly set our horses into a full gallop. Loki was riding in front now as he seemed to have the best idea of where to go.

I was ducking and avoiding any branches and we were ignoring the webs now completely. Riding through them and we could hear the creepy spiders following behind us. A few times they tried to jump at us like they did with Hogun but luckily no one was thrown from their horse. I managed to throw more fireballs at them whenever I could. But I had to be careful not to hit the rest of the party riding behind me. Suddenly there was a huge spider next to me and I flattened myself against Shadow as I saw him lurch at me. He jumped and I could feel his large body slam into Shadows and partly into me. Making us almost tip over. There was a sharp stinging sensation in my shoulder and I could hear the rest scream. I conjured a fireball and pressed it against the huge spider. There was more pain and the animal screamed and fell to the ground. I nearly puked as the other horses behind me trampled the spider to death.

Instantly I felt Loki in my head. _“I can feel your pain are you injured?”_

 _“I think I have a wound on my back but it’s not that bad. I think a branch must have penetrated my leathers and left a scratch on my back. Most of the pain was that of the spider dying.”_ I replied and I could feel his relief. _“Loki I need to use my concentration for now to stay on Shadow’s back. Can you continue riding without our connection?”_

 _“We are nearly there so it should not be a problem. Just make sure you do not fall.”_ Was his quick reply.

I tripled my concentration to stay on Shadow’s back. The stress, fear and wound on my back were very distracting and I still needed to dodge all the trees. Luckily it seemed like the forest was thinning and as the horses kept running I knew we would be out of the forest soon.

“Nearly there.” Loki yelled and even the horses seemed to pick up on our forest nightmare nearly being over.

We galloped out of the forest like mad men with the devil on our tail and as I looked behind me I saw Loki had summoned a wall of fire. I could hear the shrieking of the spiders who walked into the flames. After a few moments and to my great relief I saw that they didn’t leave the forest. And as we got further away from the forest I could feel the unsettling feelings and shivers leave my body. There was no way we were camping near the forest edge. It seemed an unspoken thing that we just galloped to get as much distance between us and the forest as possible. The further we rode the more I felt myself tire. I blamed it on the adrenaline leaving my body and my repeated use of the fireball spell. The fireballs I summoned had been a lot bigger than the ones I had summoned during practice. But as I rode on the drain just kept getting worse and worse. Suddenly I realized that it had to be something more than I had expected.

 _“Loki somethings wrong.”_ I said through our bond. “ _I’m getting really tired and having a hard time staying on Shadow’s back.”_ I knew he could feel my panic.

Within moments he was next to me and Shadow gracefully came to a stop. Loki jumped off Lady’s back but before he could reach me I fell from Shadow. Like a sack of potatoes I hit the ground with a loud thump. I could hear Sif scream my name as she saw me fall. Loki turned me over and brushed my hair out of my face. He was talking to me but I was struggling to make sense of his words. I tried to move but it was like I had no control over my body.

“Aurora where were you hurt?” Loki yelled as he was franticly searching my body.

 _“Shoulder.”_ Was all I could think through our bond but I knew he heard me as he lifted me forwards so he could look at my back.

I couldn’t understand why a scratch from a tree would do this to me but there was nothing I could do.

“Shit.” Loki cursed as he clearly found the wound. I could feel his fingers prodding and if I had been able to say anything I knew I would have screamed.

“Brother what is wrong with her.” Came Thor’s terrified voice from my left and I could feel him take one of my hands.

“I think the wound she has was made by one of the spider’s fangs. I recall vaguely that there are some species of Svartalfheim spiders that are extremely venomous. If I do not get the venom out of her body soon her hart could stop.” Loki was frantic.

I could feel his emotions run very high as he tried to keep his mind clear. He moved me back so I could look into his eyes.

“Aurora I have to stop the venom from spreading into your body any further. The only way I can do this is by making the wound bleed a lot. I am so sorry but this is going to hurt.” He said and I felt his stomach turn.

I tried to say something to him but it was useless so I ended up nodding. He rolled me on my side and told Thor to hold me in that position. I saw a flash of metal and then the pain started. I tried to scream or yell or even move away but it was useless as I could do nothing but lay there. Tears were streaming down my face and I could hear Thor mumble comforting sounding words. The sharp searing pain just kept on coming. Suddenly the sharpness of the pain dulled a tiny bit and I could feel warm blood seeping over my back. Thor gently moved me up to a sitting position and I could see Loki pulling a bottle out of his void dimension.

“Aurora take a sip of this.” He said emotions clearly very audible in his voice. “It will help with the pain and will help you replenish the blood you are losing.”

Thor moved me into Loki’s arms as he was now helping me sit. Carefully trying not to touch the wound on my back. He brought the bottle to my lips. I found it very hard to swallow. But I managed to get some of it down.

“We need to make camp so she can rest.” Sif’s voice said from somewhere behind me.

But it was Hogun who disagreed. “No we need to get a few miles between us and the forest first. There is a small village not far from here.”  He motioned towards some lights very far in the distance. “We can make it if we ride hard. I think it’s best to get Aurora to a healer as soon as we can.”

They all agreed and I could feel myself being lifted by Loki. He walked over towards Lady but was instantly blocked by Shadow. A fierce look in the stallion’s eyes and I could feel Shadow need to protect and be close to me. 

_“Loki I think it’s best if you ride Shadow. I don’t think he trusts any other horse to carry me.”_

I could see Loki look at shadow. _“Aurora I do not know if he will accept me.”_

_“He will, just tell explain to him in elvish that I need your help with riding.”_

Loki motioned Thor and gently placed me in his arms. The pain was sharp as his arm brushed my wound but again there was nothing I could do about it. I could not see Loki or Shadow from my current position but I could hear Loki’s voice talking in Elvish to Shadow. As Thor moved I saw Loki on Shadow’s back I could feel Thor lift me up into Loki’s arms. Loki gently placed his arms protectively around me and made sure we both were secure on Shadow’s back. The second he was ready Shadow stormed off before anyone had a chance to even follow. I saw the world blur around us as Shadow ran harder then I ever had felt him go. His gait was surprisingly smooth and in Loki’s arms I felt strangely comfortable. I could feel my mind clear a bit and the strange paralyzing feeling was lessening. The bloodletting was clearly working but I could feel myself getting cold. I could not help but wonder as I knew the wards in my clothes should prevent this.

 _“Loki I’m getting cold is that normal?”_ I said through our bond.

He immediately grabbed his cape and wrapped it around me. I could feel my words had worried him even more.

 _“Please describe what you are feeling?”_ he asked.

I concentrated on my body. I could feel a slight tingle in my fingers and toes and when I tried to wiggle them they seemed to move a bit. They wouldn’t before so I took this as a good sign. But the wound on my back was hurting more and more and the cold seemed to be seeping into my bones.

 _“I can wiggle and feel my fingers and toes again. But I’m getting colder by the second and the pain in my back is getting worse.”_ I admitted.

With a flick of his hand the bottle appeared again and with great difficulty I managed to get in another sip. Now being able to swallow a bit more but nearly choking as it was quite hard to drink on the back of a galloping horse. I felt Loki’s hand move towards the wound on my back and I felt a warm tingle of magic on my shoulder. 

 _“I have partially healed the wound to lessen the bleeding.”_ He said and I could feel him trying his hardest to stay calm. “ _It still needs to bleed but I think a good bit of the venom has left your body if feeling is returning.”_

Loki looked up for a moment and I felt relief come over him.

_“I can see the edge of the village. As soon as I find the inn I will ask for a healer and we will get you back up in no time.”_

As we reached the village I could see the elven people look at us strangely. The inn was easy to find and without any interruptions Shadow bowed and Loki jumped down from his back with me in his arms and walked to the inn. It must have been a strange sight for the elves. A strange man with a woman in his arms who was covered in blood. The owner of the inn almost flew over and asked something in elvish. I heard Loki talk back in the same language. It was surreal to hear Loki talk in the beautiful Elven language so fluently but then he had lived here for years. We were led towards a warm room in the back and Loki gently placed me on the bed as he reached for a jug of water on the night stand. I was very thirsty and he helped me drink.

“Can you talk?” Loki asked as he looked at me the worry still clearly written on his face.

I tried to clear my throat and with a very rough voice I could produce a “Yes.”

I could see relief on his face as I even managed to place my hand on his to prove I was feeling better.

“They are getting the healer right now. You are going to be fine.” He said as he gently placed the bedding over me.

I was thankful as I still felt cold from the blood loss. We waited in silence for a moment while he gently moved a bit of my hair from my face. There was a lot of noise coming from the inn and before we knew what was making it the door flew open and Sif barged in.

“How is she?” she asked nearly out of breath.

“She is going to be fine.” Loki said as he looked over to her. “I think most of the poison is gone now and the inn keeper is getting the local healer.”

I could visibly see Sif take a deep breath to try and calm.

“The others are back in the inn. I will go and tell them.” She said to Loki. She bowed down and gently took my hand and squeezed it. “I am glad you are going to be alright Aurora.”

I managed to get a half smile on my face. “Thank you Sif.” I croaked.

As she left the room an elven woman carrying a bag entered. Loki started talking with her in elvish and I saw her eyes grow wide and she nodded. She walked over to my bed and sat beside me.

“Hello my princess. My name is Alana. I am a healer and I will help you as best as I can.” She said.

I nodded and smiled at her. She motioned to Loki and together they gently lifted me into a sitting position so she could inspect the wounds on my shoulder. I could feel her examine Loki’s work and then I could hear her speak to Loki.

“You have saved her life.” She said to him. “With the limited resources you had this was indeed the only way to stop it spreading. You said you gave her two doses of Mintel leaf to help with the pain and the blood loss?”

Loki nodded. “Yes but she could swallow very little so I do not know if more is required.”

“Then I ask you to leave the room now.” She said calmly. “I need to get her out of her clothes so I can clean and heal the wound.”

I could feel Loki didn't want to go. But she gave him a firm look and then he nodded.

“I will go but first I will assist you in order to prevent more pain.” He gently laid me down on the bed and helped me roll over on my side so my back was towards the healer. Loki took the bedding and raised it over my chest and gently lifted one of my arms over the bedding to keep it in place.

“Aurora I have covered you. Do you give me permission to remove your clothing? Then I will leave so the healer can do her work.” He said softly from behind me.

I nodded and with a tingle magic I could feel my clothes vanish. I was nearly fully covered by the bedding only my shoulders and one arm visible. I heard Alana gasp as my clothing vanished.

“You are a sorcerer.” She said as she looked at Loki. He just nodded and left the room.

Alana turned back towards me. “Are you comfortable like this or is there anything you need?”  She asked.

“I’m alright.” I softly said glad that it now sounded a lot better.

She gently rolled me a bit further on my side so she could examine my shoulder. She began to clean the wound causing me to wince several times.

 _“Aurora, is everything okay?”_ Loki asked through our bond. “ _I can feel you are in pain.”_

I could not help but feel a bit guilty as he was feeling all this through our bond without me even focusing on him.

 _“I’m sorry Loki.”_ I replied. “ _I don’t like you feeling my pain like this. But I’m fine she’s cleaning the wound and it hurts. But I hope she will be done soon.”_

Alana was done with cleaning the wound and I had to focus back on her as she began talking again.

“Princess I will now try to heal the wound.” She explained with her soft voice. There was a soft tingling glow on my shoulder and after a few moments the pain was almost completely gone.”

She helped me roll me on my back and placed a pillow under my head.

“Will I have a scar?” I asked her after a moment.

She smiled. “No there are no scars princess. The original wound and the ones made with the knife were clean and straight. I was able to heal them without leaving any scarring.”

She was now rummaging in her bag and pulling out some herbs.

“I will go to the innkeeper to use his kettle to brew you a potion. This will help you with the blood loss. If you drink it when it’s done and then rest later this evening I think you can be on your way tomorrow. For I heard that your destination is not far from here.”

“Thank you I’m glad to hear that.” I said to her. “Also thank you for helping me.”

“It’s my calling princess. I am just glad to help. Shall I inform your companions of your healing progress when I see them?” she asked and I nodded.

“Yes please if you would. Tell them that they don’t have to worry anymore and I will be fine by next morning. Also, if you could ask the man who was just here to return I would be very glad.”

She looked at me and then at my state of undress. I understood her look and with a small flicker of my arms I summoned my nightgown and over coat so I was once more presentable. I could see her eyes widen again.

“You are also a sorceress?” She said clearly surprised. Then she instantly blushed. “Forgive princess. It’s just this is a quite village and we do not get many visitors. The man told me you were a princess but that is all I know. I am already surprised to see an Æsir here but even more so with such powers.”

I smiled. “Alana it’s alright. I’m Princess Aurora Wiliamsdóttir from Midgard I’m half Æsir. The man you just saw in this room is Prince Loki Odinson. The rest of my companions are Prince Thor Odinson, Lady Sif and the warriors three. We are traveling to the Royal palace and were ambushed by giant spiders. I’m very glad you helped us.”

I saw Alana’s eyes grow wide as I told her who we were. But I thought she had a right to know who she had helped.

“If there is anything I can do to repay you for your help please let me know and I will see if it’s in my power to grant it.” I said trying to calm her as I could feel she was panicking a bit.

She fell down to her knees in a deep bow and I could feel she was very uncomfortable with herself right now.

“Please Alana there is no need.” I said as I tried to get up from the bed but I was still feeling tired and weak. “If I was feeling better I would bow to you for what you’ve done for me. Please get up.”

She did as I asked and I could feel there was something she wanted to ask but she was unsure if she should ask. I held out my hand and she took it.

“Alana please I meant what I said. Please tell me how I can replay you.”

She looked at me. “Princess you do not have to repay me as it’s my honor to help. But there is something I do want to ask if you do not mind.”

I nodded so she would continue.

“We have been in contact with the palace about the spiders in the woods. Sometimes they come down from the woods and attack the village. One of our elders has placed a ward around the village so we get a warning when they come. But he is old and the ward is weak and fails us a lot and it seems to take a long time for the palace to come to our aid.”

She stopped as she looked at the floor.

I squeezed her hand a little. “Do you want me and Prince Loki to see if we can strengthen the ward?” I asked.

I could see her look up and look at me. “If you would be willing.” She said softly.

“To be honest I’m still learning Seidr so I’m not sure if it’s something we can do. But Prince Loki is far more advanced. Can you wait a minute?”

_“Loki could you come back to the room please? I’m fine now and I want to ask you something.”_

Within moments there was a knock and I called that he could enter. As Loki entered Alana quickly released my hand and bowed deeply for him.

“Loki, I asked Alana if there was anything I could do to repay her for her kind help in healing me.” I said.

I could see him look at her skeptically about what it was she wanted and I could feel Alana get a bit scared at Loki’s presence.

“She told me her village has been in contact with the palace about the spiders because they seem to come to the village sometimes. But the palace has not yet helped them with the spider problem. They have an elder who placed a ward around the village so they are warned when the spiders are near. But it seems that the elder is old and the ward is weak. Is there anything we can do to strengthen it? Give them more time to prepare if the spiders attack?”

I could feel Loki’s surprise at the request as I think he did not expect it to be this selfless. I could see his demeanor change a bit and he turned his attention back at Alana.

“Alana, I would be honored to deliberate with you elder in the morning.” Loki said to her and motioned her to standup. “If there is anything Princess Aurora or I can do to strengthen the ward we will do so.”

I could see Alana smile at his words and her fear of him sank down a bit.

“Thank you my Prince and my Princess.” She said with a smile. “I will now go make the princess her medicine.” With another bow she left the room.

“How are you?” Loki asked as he nearly threw himself next to me on the bed wrapping his arms around me.

“I’m fine.” I said as I cuddled against him. “She healed my wound and she said there won’t even be a scar. She is making me something that will help me with the blood loss and if I rest tonight I will be fine in the morning.”

Loki let out a deep breath he had been holding. “Do you mind If I check the wound?” he asked and I could not help but grin. I knew he had hated to leave the room when she healed me and he wanted to see the wound for himself.

“If it makes you feel better please do.” And as I leaned forward I pulled my arms out of my overcoat and loosened the laces of my night gown. This loosened the neckline of my nightgown so he could lower it on my back. His fingers traced my bare shoulder where the wound had been and I got goosebumps on my skin. He gently moved the fabric of my gown back over my shoulders and I fastened the lacing as I let myself fall back against his chest.

“She has done an amazing job.” He said softly. “You cannot even see where the wound was. I feared that the wounds I made with the knife would scar because I had to cut quite deep.” I could feel him shiver as he relived that moment.

“Thank you for saving my life.” I said as I hugged him. “I just don’t think that I can ever face a spider again. I don’t care what size it is.” And I shuddered as I thought back at those horrible things.

Loki let out a laugh. “I will keep you safe Aurora. Not only from big siders but also from the little ones. If you ever see any just let me know and I will come and vanquish it. Just let me know it’s size first.” He grinned. “That way I know if I need backup.”

This made me laugh and it truly made me feel better. After a few moments I looked up at him.

“How are the rest?” I asked.

“Worried about you but drinking ale to get their nerves under control. They wanted to see you but I thought it best to not overcrowd you.” He explained.

“Please, if they want let them come in so they can see I’m fine. Then I can drink Alana’s brew and go to sleep and be well in the morning.”

Loki nodded and helped get me back in my overcoat and with the help of a lot of pillows sit up in the bed as he left to get the rest. It was Thor who stormed into the room first.

“Aurora are you well?” he asked with a soft voice as if I was dying causing me to laugh loudly.

“Thor I’m fine! The venom is nearly out of my system and after a good nights rest I’m free to go.”

This caused him to let out a loud cheer and pull me out of bed in a bear hug. I could see Loki shake his head behind Thor but I did not mind one bit as I hugged him back. He gently sat me back down in the pile of pillows and behind him I saw Sif and the warriors smile like idiots.

Volstagg punched Thor on his shoulder. “Thank you for checking if Aurora is alright. If she did not die from the spider venom she might have from your hug.” He laughed and I could not help but feel sorry for the shocked look on Thor’s face.

“Never mind Thor. Let them talk their just jealous because I got a hug and they didn’t.”

I could instantly see a smile come.  back on Thor’s face. We sat there for a moment talking and smiling when Alana walked back in. She looked shocked to see them all in the small room. But she regrouped and gave me a cup of something almost tea like drink.

“Princess drink this and you will feel better in the morning. I do suggest someone to keep watch over you in the night. If you feel worse use this and she handed me a small bottle. It’s another but stronger dose of the herb infusion I made and it will help you feel better.”

I smiled at her. “Thank you Alana. Tomorrow we will come and seek you out so you can take us to the elder.”

With a bow and her thanks, she left and I sipped the infusion which didn’t taste that bad. When i was done, I was tired and Loki ushered everyone out. Loki managed to convince everyone that since he had the most training in healing he would rest in the chair and watch over me for the night. He left for a moment to get me some food and when he returned we both ate in silence. Just thinking about the things that had happened today. That was partly why I felt at ease with Loki. He was fun to be around but also easy to relax with. There was no pressure to fill a silence if it was there.

"Loki do you think we can get Muriel's father send troops to the woods to do something about those spiders?" I asked as I was mindlessly eating my food.

Loki turned to look at me. "Do you think he purposely did not?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. But I believe the village would immediately send word for protection when they found out the spiders were there. I find it hard to believe that they had no response as of yet. I would like to think that when a village is in trouble their king would send them help. It's just a gut feeling that somehow the king didn’t get the message or is actively ignoring them.”

Loki thought about it. "Well if that is the case I will make sure King Merinor looks into it. Seeing as now a princess from a diplomatic delegation has been harmed. I cannot see him being able to ignore it now. But it still troubles me that the spiders are there. They are not indigenous to Alfheim but to Svartalfheim so it should not be possible for them to be here."

I looked at Loki as I tried to remember which of the nine realms Svartalfheim was but Loki continued.

"Svartalfheim is the realm of the dark elves. My grandfather eradicated them in a great war. But their world is still filled with dark creatures like the spiders. But since Svartalfheim is separate from Asgard and Alfheim and shares no borders with another country it's not like the spiders could just migrate. If they are here they have been brought here on purpose."

I didn’t like the sound of that and I shivered as I thought back to the hideous spiders. Loki looked at me with a worried look on his face.

"Are you getting cold again? If you are you need to take more of Alana's infusion."

I shook my head. "No don't worry. I just don’t like spiders and they are still giving me the creeps. I still wonder how I managed to face them in the woods and not just run out and leave you all there to fend for yourself." I joked.

Loki grinned. "You are too kind for that. You could not leave a friend who is in trouble if you tried."

I gave Loki a smile and then looked at my food. My plate was empty and I was very tired.

"Do you mind it if we go to sleep?” I asked. “I'm exhausted."

Loki nodded and looked over to the uncomfortable chairs and the small bed we were both sitting on. Then looking hopefully towards me causing me to laugh.

"Yes, you can sleep in here with me you daft person." I chuckled. "It's not like we never shared a bed before and we both know that even if it was bigger we would still end up sleeping in each other’s arms."

This causing Loki to grin too. He took his place in the bed and after I removed the overcoat I crawled besides him cuddled up in his arms. With a move of his hand I could hear the lock of the door click and I looked at him.

"I do not want anyone to barge in tomorrow and cause troubles." He said half asleep and I was glad he had thought of that and then let myself drift off to sleep.

 


End file.
